


Making Amends

by nikki13088



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Arthur Weasley - Freeform, Comfort, Draco Malfoy - Freeform, Draco/Ginny Fic Exchange, Drama, Drinny - Freeform, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Harry Potter - Freeform, Hurt, Hurt Draco Malfoy, Hurt/Comfort, Lucius Malfoy - Freeform, Ministry of Magic, Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Rape, Rape Recovery, Romance, ginny weasley - Freeform, making amends, narcissa mallfoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-03-16 09:18:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 37
Words: 248,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13633332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nikki13088/pseuds/nikki13088
Summary: When Ginny tries to befriend Draco in an attempt to help her Father get promoted, she soon learns the life of the Malfoys has changed a great deal since the fall of Voldemort. When her curiosity leads her to find some unanswered questions, she ends up uncovering more than she ever expected.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my second Drinny Fanfic, I hope you all enjoy it!

He sat there for what seemed like eternity waiting for the Minister of Magic to come into his office. It took everything in him to even show his face outside the walls of his home these days after the fall of Voldemort. He debated numerous times whether to get up and leave; unsure of even being here in the first place, but as he went to get up the office door opened and in walked Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Sorry for the wait, I was in a meet-" he froze in front of his desk and then slowly took a seat behind it; a look of surprise covering his face. "Well, well, Lucius Malfoy......... it's been about what? Four.... Maybe five years since we last spoke..... So I can't say I'm not surprised to see you here." he said with a raised eyebrow at the unexpected visit from the Ex-Death Eater.

"Kingsley....." Lucius said with a stiff nod.

Kingsley sat there for a moment in silence and then cleared his throat. "Forgive me, it's just I'm overwhelmed by your being here...... nobody has really seen any of the Malfoy family since the war...... and then of course after....." Kingsley trailed off and then cleared his throat real quick and then continued. "What is it that I can do for you Lucius?"

"Yes, well, I suppose I'll get right to it then. I'm here for a position with the Ministry, specifically in the Department of Mysteries." he said with some distaste without looking in Kingsley's direction.

Kingsley continued to sit there and let the words process in his head for a moment. "Why? It's no secret about the fortune the Malfoy family has, why come to work at the Ministry?" he asked, leaning a bit over his desk as his curiosity grew.

"Let's just leave it at; I simply need a change of scenery." Lucius said casually.

"A change of scenery?" Kingsley mocked, shaking his head lightly. "You know I'm going to need more than that; surely I don't have to point out the obvious about why."

Lucius' lips tightened at Kingsley's words, yes, he knew he and his family could not be trusted and yes, he was aware that they were all practically outcasts now of the entire Wizarding World. He kept remembering the conversation he and Narcissa had the other night and he swallowed his pride and went on.

"What more is there to say? Besides the fact that neither I nor my family can show our faces anywhere without receiving countless death threats....... it may come as no surprise, but apparently working alongside the Dark L-.......... Voldemort has ruined the Malfoy name. I want to clear it and I believe by holding a position at the Ministry that could potentially-"

"Your name was cleared Lucius....... the Daily Prophet and myself have spoken numerous times about your family's intentions during the war. I can't stop anyone from having qualms with you and your family, that I'm afraid you've done on your own."

"Thank you Kingsley, but I am well aware of the damage that was done." Lucius drawled. "My family has paid for it countless times."

Kingsley let out a long sigh and calmed himself before things escalated. "There is a position for the head of the Department of Mysteries, now I won't deny that you would be the ideal candidate for the job despite your dark history, however, I could never put you in such a position if I don't trust you and that is quite an obstacle to overcome."

Lucius was quiet for a moment and then gave a short nod and stood up. "Well, then I best be going, good day Kingsley" he said making his way towards the door.

Kingsley watched him and then rubbed the bridge of his nose as he seemed to have an inner fight with himself and then finally spoke. "Arthur Weasley is one of two candidates to fill the position of the Head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Harry Potter is working in the Auror Office as I'm sure you're aware from the Daily Prophet." He paused, giving the words a chance to reach Lucius before he continued. "The Department of Mysteries and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement work very closely together." He paused again; looking up at Lucius, who was listening intently with a slight sneer.

Lucius turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Go on." he drawled.

"The position is yours if you can prove to me you have changed your ways and that you're not taking this position for malevolent reasons."

"Surely you're not suggesting-"

"Perhaps a formal invite to...... I don't know, let's say.... dinner, should be extended to the Weasley family from the Malfoy's."

"You must be completely mental to think that any Weasley would accept such an invite." Lucius snarled.

"And you must be to think they won't." Kingsley said with a slight smile.

Lucius stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say, there was no way he would ever invite the Weasley's to the Manor; the two families were just not a good mix.

"Think about it, it will be a bit before the positions are ready to be filled so you have time."

"Time for what exactly?" Lucius snapped, unable to control his anger any longer.

"Time to start making amends."

Lucius scowled at him and then fled from the room, slamming the door behind him and apparating back to Malfoy Manor.

_______________________________________________

"GINNY, DEAR, SUPPERS READY!"

"JUST A MINUTE, MUM!" Ginny called from her bedroom.

She turned back to the letter she had been writing to Bill and sealed it up, then turned to make her way downstairs when she stopped and looked herself over in the mirror. She gave a sigh at her ripped jeans, faded T-shirt and worn out sneakers.

"No wonder you're single." she mumbled to herself.

It's not that she was unable to buy herself new clothes, especially after playing professional Quidditch for two years for the Holyhead Harpies. She had put everything away into savings so that she could get her own flat, but wanted to have a stable job first before she took that next step.

Ginny was always grateful for the things she had and everything her parents gave her, so much so that countless times she offered every sickle she made to her parents if needed, but they had always refused any of it. She took another glance over her body and was even more grateful that she filled out a bit more in the chest and buttocks area the past few years. Playing Quidditch those couple of years left her toned and lean in all the right places. Her hair, though, seemed to turn even more orange, but thankfully started to develop some volume to it rather than the boring flat strands that just laid against her head.

She gave a soft sigh and headed downstairs to the kitchen and over to the window where a big brown owl was perched. She started to tie Bill's letter to the bird's leg when her Mother spoke up.

"Ah, sending a letter to Harry?"

Ginny smiled to herself and rolled her eyes in amusement before sending the owl off into the evening sky.

"No Mum, it's for Bill and why do you always think I'm sending letters to Harry?" she said with a slight giggle; taking a seat at the table.

"Sorry dear, it's just that-"

"I know, I know....... Harry's a great guy and we make such a lovely couple and Harry this and Harry that....... I know Mum, you remind me almost every day." Ginny mocked in annoyance.

Molly turned to her daughter with a small smile; placing a stack of plates down on the table. "I don't mean to push or pressure you, your just such a beautiful young woman and I want the very best for you........ you deserve it."

"Well, that's just it Mum, Harry isn't the very best for me.......... he may be a great guy and I love him dearly, but not in that way........ we just aren't meant to have a romantic relationship....... no matter how much you think we should..... got it?" she said in a definitive tone followed by a light smile.

Molly put her hands up to show she would back off and then turned back to the stove and soon the kitchen grew quiet with just the sound of Molly bustling about. Ginny let out a long sigh and thought back to her and Harry's break-up...... if it could even be called that. They both just ended up growing apart when it came to being more intimate and found they enjoyed each other's company a lot more when there was no pressure of pursuing a relationship between them. Well, that is what they told everyone anyway, there were other issues that she just couldn't bare to share with her family. She knew they held out for a while before splitting up because neither of them wanted to upset the many people that were cheering for them to be this power couple, especially her parents.

"Oh, Ginny dear, I'm packing some leftovers I'd like you to take with you over to George and Percy at the Joke shop tomorrow." Molly said suddenly, pulling Ginny from her thoughts.

"Oh, uh, I don't think I'm going......" Ginny said in a small voice.

"Why not?"

"Because Mum, I only offered to help them at the shop temporarily until I found something else........ and they don't even give me anything decent to do..... it's always just stocking and getting stuck in the basement sorting through papers." Ginny complained. "It's too boring and definitely not what you would think a job at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes would be like."

"Well then you should ask Harry to get you a job-"

"Mum, please can we not do this right now?" she lightly pleaded with her Mother.

Molly looked at her daughter with a tight smile and then nodded. She knew Ginny was struggling with trying to find out what she wanted to do from here with her life and she wanted to be supportive with whatever it was she decided on. She knew Ginny was struggling with far more than that inside, but every time she even lightly touched on the subject Ginny would switch it or act as if all was carefree in the world.

Quickly trying to steer the conversation to anything other than her, Ginny desperately thought of something to say. "So, I wonder how Dad's meeting went with Kingsley." she finally decided on saying, then let out a sigh of relief when she saw green flames illuminate off the far wall from the fireplace in the living room.

"MOLLY!" Arthur's voice rang out in anger.

Before Molly could run towards the living room, Arthur stormed into the kitchen and plopped down in a chair. Molly quickly sat beside him and placed her hand gently on his arm as he tried to calm himself.

"What happened, Arthur? How did the meeting go?"

He finally softened his face a bit and leaned forward to give Molly a kiss on the cheek and flashed a bright smile over to Ginny, who returned the same. He let out a long sigh before he began.

"Apparently, Lucius was there....."

"LUCIUS? AS IN LUCIUS MALFOY?" Ginny said loudly; a surprised look covering her face. She hadn't heard the Malfoy name in years; the last time being in the Daily Prophet about their roles in the war and their names being cleared.

"Yes, he had just left before I got there and Kingsley filled me in; he's trying to get a position in the Department of Mysteries."

"That's absurd, surely Kingsley won't agree to it." Molly said, waving her hand to dismiss it.

"Well, that's just it........ he kind of did." Arthur said in a softer voice, this time looking down at the table as he seemed to get lost in the previous conversation he had with Kingsley.

Molly turned around and just stared at her husband and then glanced at Ginny with a disbelieving look etched on her face.

"Dad, what do you mean, "kind of did?"?" Ginny asked finally after a short period of silence.

"Kingsley mentioned that both I and Harry are working in the Magical Law Enforcement Department and with this new position I'm hoping to get it will be working closely with the Department of Mysteries." he stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. "Kingsley wants to make sure that any animosity between Lucius and I is settled before he gives either of us these positions."

"So he's testing Lucius' trust...... but why can't he just let you have your position, you have nothing to prove to him." Molly said, anger rising in her voice.

"Kingsley has been trying to fill this position in the Department of Mysteries for a while now and he feels Lucius would be an ideal candidate IF he can trust him. Kingsley also thinks I'm perfect for this other position, but he wants to make sure I am willing to make an effort also." Arthur said, rubbing his hands over his face in frustration.

For a few moments, nobody said anything.

"What does Kingsley suggest?" Molly asked, placing a platter of chicken in the middle of the table before taking a seat again.

"Dinner.....to start with anyway" Arthur said as he stabbed a piece of chicken with his fork and dragged it onto his plate.

Ginny watched her Mother just shake her head in disbelief and her Father become deep in thought.

"Well, whatever you decide, dear, I will support you." Molly finally said, giving him a bright smile.

"I think you should do it." Ginny said suddenly.

They both stopped and looked at her.

Ginny couldn't help but be amused by her parents' reaction and a light giggle escaped her. "Seriously, Dad, you want this position so badly and your great for it, don't let someone like Lucius Malfoy stop you from getting it. They're just people after all." she finished; taking a bite out of a warm biscuit.

After a few moments she saw her Dad start to nod. "You know what? Your absolutely right, sweetheart." he said, pushing his dinner plate back and gesturing for Ginny to bring back a piece of parchment and quill.

She finally returned and handed it to her Mother, who naturally took it upon herself to write the letter. Ginny sat back down and watched her Mother scribble away on the parchment as an image of her family and the Malfoy's sitting around a dinner table invaded her mind. After countless attempts to try and forget it she burst out in a fit of laughs as she watched her Mother tie the letter to a small gray owl and send it off into the evening sky.

___________________________________________________

Narcissa Malfoy sat nervously at her dining room table staring at the clock for the past half hour. She was fidgeting with the rings on her fingers and unknowingly shaking her leg in anticipation. Lucius was expected home at six o'clock and it was now a half hour past that, which caused a tightness in her chest as she thought about the many reasons of why he was running late. It wasn't very often that any of them left the Manor, especially after the war. Narcissa herself hadn't been outside the Manor since the last interview with the Daily Prophet and that was almost three years ago. She would occasionally visit a family friend, but otherwise their family remained distant from the outside world. She suddenly jumped in surprise at the sound of a light pop and whipped her head to the side of her where a small house elf stood.

"You called for Tilly, Mrs. Malfoy?" the elf said in a small squeaky voice.

Narcissa quickly cleared her throat and looked back at the clock above the fireplace mantle. "Yes, Tilly, go fetch Draco for dinner." she demanded, not taking her eyes off the clock.

"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy" Tilly squeaked out before disappearing with another light pop.

Just as Tilly's soft pop subsided an even louder one came from the foyer, making Narcissa jump up from her seat and race towards what she knew to be Lucius' arrival.

"Lucius, are you alright? What happened? What kept you?" she berated him with questions and looked him over for any injury.

"I'm fine, just pulled aside for questioning on my way out of Kingsley's office about what business I had at the Ministry." he said with annoyance.

Narcissa let out a relieved sigh and took another deep breath to steady her nerves.

"Why questioning? Haven't we answered enough q-"?

"You know why Narcissa...... It looks suspicious." he said making his way towards the dining room.

She pursed her lips and shook her head before following and joining him back at the dinner table. She wanted to ask how the meeting went, but decided to wait until dinner started to give him a moment. She was annoyed and angry at the entire situation, she hated not being able to show her face anywhere without getting death threats or pulled aside and questioned.

"Mrs. Malfoy, young Mr. Malfoy says he isn't hungry this evening." Tilly said as she reappeared beside Narcissa.

Narcissa just turned and stared at Tilly, a look of anger on her face that expressed a fuse in her that was about to be lit. She let out a frustrated sigh and closed her eyes to keep herself from exploding.

"Tilly, you tell my son if he doesn't COME DOWN for dinner RIGHT NOW, then this will be the last time he EVER gets offered a meal IN THIS HOUSE AGAIN!." she snapped at the elf a bit louder than she intended, causing Tilly to take a step back.

Tilly gave a nervous nod and quickly disappeared.

Narcissa turned to see Lucius staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't give me that look, he's not going to keep taking meals in his bedroom or just stop eating altogether. That boy needs to get some kind of life back....." she trailed off, reaching for her glass of wine and taking a rather large gulp.

"Kind of hard to do these days Narcissa" he drawled.

"YES I KNOW!" she yelled back.

"Well, regardless of any of that, it's about time you get firm with that boy........ You're too nice to him." Lucius said in an almost mumbled voice as he started on the food that appeared on his plate.

"I am not; I just want what's best for him."

"By coddling him?"

"I don't coddle him, I-" she paused for a moment before continuing, "I don't mean to coddle him, its just with everything that's happened these past few years he-"

She stopped speaking when she saw Draco make his way into the dining room and take a seat at the table, a look of utter annoyance etched on his face. She watched him pick at his food with a sneer and she eyed him carefully before she could no longer hold her tongue.

"Nice of you to finally join us..... I think it's been almost two days since I last saw you." she snapped at him.

He glared at her through the platinum blond pieces of hair that hung in his face and then went back to pushing around the food on his plate.

"You know a shave or even a comb through that hair before dinner wouldn't have killed you." she continued as she started on her own meal.

Draco threw his fork down on the table and sat back in his chair. "May I be excused?" he drawled.

"No, I want you to eat"

"I'M NOT HUNGRY! CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME BE?"" He shouted at her.

"DRACO! Do not speak to your Mother in that tone, if you don't wish to eat, then you will at least sit here with us." Lucius demanded.

"Why? What's the point?" Draco spat.

"ENOUGH!" Lucius bellowed glaring at his son. "You will hold that tongue of yours boy and sit through dinner with us." he continued in a threatening drawl.

Draco just shook his head and slouched down in his seat like a child as he listened to his Father start to tell his Mother about his meeting with Kingsley. He couldn't help but sit up a bit when he heard what Kingsley's demands were in order for his Father to be considered for the position.

"A dinner? With the Weasley family? That's...... there's no way that will happen." Narcissa said outraged at the idea.

"I know, but Kingsley was set on this......... I suppose it was worth the attempt anyway, best to just leave it be and forget the whole thing." Lucius said, dismissing any attempts of sending out an invite to the Weasley's.

"Why?" Draco asked suddenly.

Lucius looked at Narcissa and then cleared his throat. "Because Draco, they're the Weasley's, there's no way they would ever agree to something so ridiculous, especially after the loss of one of their children."

Draco just sat there with a sneer on his face, he wasn't sure what he was angry at, he was just......... angry. His parents tried to pretend they lived this normal life within the walls of the Manor, but it was what waited outside of these walls that forced them to stay inside all this time. After the war there was no place in the Wizarding World for the Malfoy family, everyone either wanted them locked up or killed. There was one of Draco's attempts to leave the Manor on his own that was a day he wouldn't soon forget and ever since had spent his days living in the Manor. He knew his family deserved everything they got; well that's how he felt anyway. The guilt of the things he did was so overwhelming that he couldn't help but feel he was paying for it by being trapped inside the walls of his own home. He thought about trying to show his face again in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, but his Mother was against it. He knew if he pushed it enough, she would want to go with him and he wouldn't want to put his Mother in danger like that, it was a risk he would not take........again.

He was pulled from his thoughts when there was a light tapping on the dining room window. There was a small gray owl waiting outside with a letter, causing them all to exchange a look and continue to sit there and stare at the bird. They had hardly received any letters from anyone except for the occasional death threat ones. It was Draco, who finally stood and opened the window for the owl and took the letter and turned it over. His lips curled into an amused smirk as he read who it was from and tossed it on the table as he took his seat again.

"It's from the Weasley's" he said casually, folding his arms as he watched his Father and Mother exchange a look of surprise.

Narcissa opened the letter and read it aloud.

Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,

We were hoping you will accept our dinner invitation for tomorrow evening.

Arthur and Molly Weasley

She stared at Lucius for a moment before folding the letter back up and setting it aside.

"What do you want to do Lucius?" she finally asked in a small voice.

He remained silent for a moment and they both snapped their heads up at the sound of Draco roughly scraping his chair back and standing up and starting to walk away.

"Draco?" Narcissa called to him.

He just shook his head in disbelief and continued walking back to his room. Why his parents wouldn't jump all over the opportunity to try and get them some positive reputation was beyond him. Sure the last people he would want to be sitting at a dinner table with was a bunch of Muggle loving gingers, but how much longer were they suppose to live only within the walls of the Manor?

"What do you think Narcissa?" Lucius asked her.

She turned to look at where Draco had just stormed from the room and thought of how lost he was.

"Accept it." she whispered.

_____________________________________________________

Grab it and pull it through, grab it and pull it through, grab it and........Ginny quickly let out a frustrated sigh and threw the crochet hooks aside on the couch.

"Something wrong, sweetheart?" Molly said over her glasses as she continued crocheting the perfect stitch.

Ginny looked at her Mother's perfect pattern and shook her head before getting up from the couch and making her way over to the chess set. "Dad, please come play a game with me so I don't have to bore myself to death with knitting.

"It's crochet." Molly corrected her daughter.

Ginny folded her arms and glared at her Mother. "Dad, please."

"Alright, alright." Arthur said, placing his paper down and joining his daughter in a game of chess.

Just as Arthur sat down there was a tap on the living room window by the same small gray owl they had sent out just a couple of hours earlier. Ginny quickly jumped up and ran over to the window and gently took the letter from the bird. She looked at the back of the letter and gave a small nod to her parents before opening it and reading it to them.

Weasleys

In regards to your invitation, we will accept. Dinner at the Manor tomorrow at 6.

Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy

"Weasleys? Did they really address us as Weasleys?" Molly asked in a calm but angry tone, causing Ginny to flash her a small smile.

"Of course they want us to go there, I knew the Malfoys wouldn't dare come to our home and it was our invitation." Arthur went off on a rant. "That Lucius is a real piece of work; you know I ought to-"

"Calm down Arthur, dear, let's just accept the invitation to go there."

"But Molly-"

"Be the bigger person, Dad." Ginny cut in.

Arthur looked at his daughter before finally letting out a defeated sigh. "Alright, I guess tomorrow night....... we will be dining with the Malfoys."

"Well, in that case I better head on up to bed now..... I'm going to need plenty of sleep in order to hold my tongue tomorrow evening." said Molly, getting up from her chair.

"Yes, I think I'm going to take a rain check as well Ginbug on our game." he said, getting up and placing a quick kiss on the top of Ginny's head.

"Alright, night Mum and Dad."

Ginny climbed the stairs shortly after them and went to her room, throwing herself on her bed. She laid there for a while just staring at her ceiling and got lost in her thoughts. She let out a bored sigh and turned on her side taking in her perfectly organized bedroom, which only was organized because she was completely bored these past few months. Having none of her brothers living at home anymore sure made things a lot duller around the Burrow and since she had stopped playing professional Quidditch she'd been living at home.

She got up and walked over to her window and stared out into the night sky and let her thoughts fall on tomorrow's dinner. Having dinner with the Malfoy family wasn't exactly ideal, but she would be lying if she wasn't a bit curious to see the famous Malfoy Manor. A part of her welcomed the uneasy and unsure feelings that filled her; it was like she was yearning for some kind of adventure or something completely unexpected to occur and this certainly caught her attention.

She could no longer take the silence that filled her room and she was getting fidgety with just sitting around doing nothing. She couldn't even visit Ron or Hermione right now, especially after her Mother ordered her to give them their privacy since their engagement. As for Harry, he was always busy with work, sometimes she would stop by to see him, but even then his focus was never on the visit. As for George and Percy, they were always swamped at the joke shop and she hardly could get a word in whenever she went to help out or just to go say hello.

She suddenly was filled with a bit of anger and decided to make her way downstairs to have a late night broom ride. She may have not been able to continue playing Quidditch, but flying just for fun was always something that she enjoyed, especially under the night sky. She mounted her broom and pushed off the ground and welcomed the warm breeze that whipped against her face. She flew as high as she could and then would dive down as fast as she could towards the ground and pulled up at the very last moment as the adrenaline filled her body. She kept zipping through the nearby trees and just above the small lake in the distance feeling the mist wet her face as she flew by.

She stopped and looked around the dark grassy field realizing how alone she was. She took a few deep breaths before gripping her broom in frustration and took off at another high speed towards the sky. She sat on her broom for a moment and looked down at the dark home beneath her where just her bedroom light was on. She rubbed her face roughly with her hands and then stared down at the ground, letting her eyes drift over to the lake. She took off at top speed into a downward spiral towards the water; squinting her eyes as the rushing air passed over her face.

As she neared the lake she swung her other leg over her broom and just jumped from it from at least fifty feet above the water. Once she let go of the broom and started falling, her heart began to race and it was a feeling she so longed for. Her body hit the water hard and she felt the cold sting of the water engulfing her as she continued to sink deeper and deeper into the lake. She just floated there as still as possible just taking in the thrill of what her body was feeling. She watched her copper strands of hair floating around her as she slowly started floating up and felt her lungs begin to tighten, but she didn't rush to the surface........not yet. It wasn't until her lungs started burning that she felt her head break through the surface and she gasped for air, taking in huge breaths at a time.

She swam to the bank of the lake and stumbled out into the grass making her way over to where her broom landed.

"Great," she mumbled, as she picked up the pieces of debris that were once her broom.

She made her way back to the Burrow and threw what was left of her broom aside on the porch, then looked over her soaking wet body. A small satisfied smile stretched across her face as her racing heart was just now starting to slow down. She kicked off her wet sneakers and tiptoed upstairs to take a quick shower and finally settle down for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here is another chapter!!!

Draco was spread out across his bed awake for what seemed like hours just lying on his stomach with his arm hanging over the side. He heard a knock at the door, but ignored it until whoever it was went away, but instead there was another knock, this time more persistent. Still not caring which one of his parents he knew to be at his door, he pulled the blankets over his head and let out a frustrated groan. He suddenly heard the door slam open and heard a familiar clicking of heels on his floor as his Mother entered his room.

"You need to get up, it's almost three in the afternoon and we are expecting guests over for dinner." Narcissa said firmly.

"It's the Weasleys, who cares." Draco snarled, turning over onto his back and rubbing his face.

Narcissa crossed the room in three long strides and ripped the blankets off of Draco and flung them to the floor.

"I want you up out of this bed NOW!" she hissed at him. "And more so, I would like to see a comb through that nest you call hair and a razor to your face. It's not going to kill you to actually shower and look presentable tonight." she demanded, making her way back to the door.

Draco sneered at his Mother, "Geez Mother, I'm a bloody adult, I don't need you telling me what to do."

She turned around to face her son and studied him for a moment; her heart ached for the life he had to live these past few years. She gave him a small smile before continuing with a more menacing tone. "Draco, you will do as I say....... DO NOT make me come back up here." she finished and then turned on her heel and left the room. "AND IT WOULDN'T HURT TO CLEAN THAT PIG STY OF A ROOM!" she called from down the hall.

Draco picked up some figurine from his end table and threw it clear across the room, making it shatter into pieces all over the floor. He yelled into his pillow and then jumped out of bed and dragged himself to the bathroom that was connected to his room. He looked at himself in the mirror and ran a hand over the scruffy patch of facial hair and then ran his fingers through the strands of hair on his head. He shook his head in defeat before turning on the water and beginning a very long overdue shave.

He rinsed his face off and looked himself over again in the mirror; his eyes landing on a small scar on his neck just under his chin. He quickly looked away from his reflection as not so very fond memories flashed through his mind at the sight of it. His hands were balled into tight fists of anger that he slammed down on the counter and flung everything viciously off of it and across the bathroom. He ran his fingers frantically through his hair again and slumped to the floor in defeat just letting his breathing return to a normal rhythm.

___________________________________________

Ginny sat on the desk of Harry Potter as she waited for him to arrive; picking up random objects and studying them before setting them back down. She let her eyes wander over to a certificate on the wall that Harry had received after the fall of Voldemort and then over to a picture beside it of him, Ron and Hermione. She swung her legs back and forth as she waited for almost a half hour for him and was just about to leave him a note when the door swung open.

"Finally" she snapped.

"Sorry, Gin, it's just been hectic today-can you get the door for me?" he asked as he cradled a handful of papers.

She slipped off the desk and shut the office door before sitting in the chair in front of his desk.

"What's all that?" she asked, eyeing the pile of files he set down.

"Just some background information on some Ex-Death Eaters about a case we're working on...... nothing too fascinating." He shrugged, picking one file up from the stack and dropping it in front of him. "Speaking of Ex-Death Eaters....... don't you have a dinner to be at soon?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, it's definitely going to be interesting, that's for sure; too bad you can't come." she said sarcastically.

"Yeah, too bad." Harry mimicked her sarcasm causing them both to let out a small snicker. Harry stopped what he was doing for a moment and just looked at Ginny for a moment before deciding on his next question. "Do you.....uh.....do you think it's such a good idea if you go with your parents tonight?" he asked, trying to sound casual but came out more like he was implying something else.

"Pft, why wouldn't it be?" she asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, nothing.....just...... nothing, it's nothing, so anyway, what about Ron, is he going?" he asked as he quickly tried to switch the subject.

"Ha, yeah right, Mum made it a point to not invite him along, the whole thing would just end up....... catastrophic really." she said, playing out a silent scenario in her head of how exactly that would go. She quickly cleared her thoughts and jumped up from her seat and headed towards the door. "Let's go grab a coffee or something."

"Oh, uh..... I can't, actually." Harry said nervously, scratching the back of his head.

Ginny turned around with a groan and looked at him. "Why not?"

"Well, I kind of told Cho I would meet up with her."

"CHO? Cho Chang?" Ginny was fuming inside, but refused to show any signs of it to Harry. "Fine, maybe this weekend we can grab lunch then?" she looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Sure, sorry about that." he said, looking at her to see if she was upset with him.

"It's fine Harry, you don't need to apologize........ I really should be going...... I'll owl you." she said, holding the door halfway open already.

"Alright Gin, see you-" Harry stopped when he saw her close the door behind her before his words could reach her.

_____________________________________________

"Now are you sure you want to go with us? You really don't have to, dear; heaven knows how awkward this is going to be." Molly said shaking her head in a displeasing tone.

"Yes Mum, I'm sure....... it's better than staying at home bored out of my mind, besides it will be.......... interesting." Ginny said, looking herself over in the mirror.

She was just wearing a simple royal blue dress with a black pair of flats and had part of her hair held back in a clip.

"Interesting?" Molly asked with a raised eyebrow from the bedroom doorway.

"Yeah, you know, like different-are you sure I just can't wear my jeans?" Ginny asked through a huffed breath. "It's just the Malfoys." she added, looking at how odd it was to see herself in a dress.

"More of a reason to wear the dress Ginevra, I want everything to go as smoothly as possible tonight and if avoiding the insults of our wardrobe choice will help, then so be it."

"I guess, " she mumbled, playing with the thin black belt around her dress and then giving a shrug.

Molly gave her daughter a bright smile at her outfit choice and went to turn to finish getting ready when she turned back to Ginny. "Oh, how was lunch with Harry?"

"Ha, what lunch? He had plans with Cho." she said casually, grabbing the brush from her vanity table and going over her hair once more.

"Oh, sorry dear." Molly said with disappointment.

Ginny stopped brushing midway through her hair and stared at her Mother's face. "Mum, it's fine, I'm not jealous if that's what you're thinking; I'm just annoyed that every time I try to see one of my friends, they're too busy." she said as she continued brushing her hair.

"Yes, but still, I'm sure you're not thrilled with the idea of him choosing Cho over you for a lunch date." Molly pressed on.

"Mum, you're doing it again." Ginny groaned, tossing the brush back on the table.

"Doing what?" Molly asked innocently holding out her hands.

"THAT! -Just forget it, never mind........ I'm ready when you are....... I'll be downstairs." she finished in a mumble as she pushed past her Mother out of the room.

__________________________________________________

Ginny felt her feet hit the floor and quickly grabbed her Father's arm to keep herself from falling over. Her hair was spread messily across her face and she murmured a quick spell to set it back in place.

"Whoa, that was weird, never had that happen before while apparating." she said while straightening out her dress.

"It's from the wards around the Malfoy Manor, from what I hear they are very secure and almost impenetrable..... only the Malfoy family can apparate in and out of the wards..... it will only allow certain people to pass through.......well, people that the Malfoy's allow that is." Arthur explained.

Ginny turned around to see the magnificent Manor before her. "Wow, so this is the famous Malfoy Manor..... Geez, no wonder they haven't been seen in years, they probably got lost in their own home." she said, looking the mansion over in awe.

She followed her parents through the ward wall, which to Arthur and Molly's surprise; let them through with no problem. Ginny found herself before two very large doors and watched her Mother reach out to go ring the doorbell when the doors suddenly started to open. The three of them walked through into a massive foyer and found themselves surrounded by beautiful silver and gray marble and dark mahogany walls and trimmings. There was an elegant chandelier that hung above their heads that Ginny stared at; admiring the extraordinary home they stood in.

Ginny suddenly snapped her head back down and across the room when she heard a pair of heels clicking against the polished marble floor. She noticed it was Narcissa Malfoy making her way over to them with a cold expression on her face.

"Ah, Narcissa........ so.....uh.......lovely to see you." Molly fought out while looking the woman over.

Ginny shook her head at how ridiculously forced that sounded from her Mother's mouth.

Narcissa gave Molly and Arthur a tight smile and nodded. "Likewise." she drawled as she ran her eyes over the Weasley family and slightly turned her nose up at them.

Then there was complete silence until finally Lucius had joined them in the foyer and he cleared his throat to break it.

"Arthur...... Molly....... I suppose no sense in dragging this out any longer than it needs to be so might as well get to it then."

There were a few nods of agreement, but then silence continued to fill the room, everyone was mostly looking each other over. It had been years since any of them had seen each other and seeing the Malfoy's up close was a lot to take in, especially since the last time they saw each other was after the battle at Hogwarts.

Ginny noticed that both Lucius and Narcissa looked a lot better than their days of following Voldemort, but she could see there was something off with the both of them. She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard her Mother's voice slice through the quiet room.

"Oh, I brought a pie for dessert" Molly suddenly remembered, attempting to hand it over to Narcissa.

"Oh, you shouldn't have." she said, looking at the pie with a forced smile, but a look of disgust in her eyes. "Really," she added.

Ginny saw her Mother about to say something rather rude when she decided to intervene.

"So, where's Draco?"

She saw everyone's eyes snap to her and after a moment of silence Narcissa spoke up.

"He'll be joining us shortly." she said, taking in Ginny's choice of apparel with a raised eyebrow.

Ginny noticed Lucius' eyes fall on her for the slightest of moments and then just as quickly looked away. She figured it was just the awkward tension rapidly growing between them all and how he was the one who slipped Tom Riddle's diary into her cauldron many years ago. The silence was too much for her to take and she quickly came up with something to get her away from it.

"May I use the bathroom?"

Again, all eyes were on her and it took a moment for Narcissa to speak up again. "Of course." she answered dryly, although Ginny could tell she would really rather she not use any bathroom in the Manor. "TILLY!" she called.

A moment later a house elf appeared before Narcissa. "Show Miss Weasley to-"

"Oh, no, that's alright, I can find it myself." Ginny cut in, finding it just as awkward to have a house elf escort her to the bathroom.

Narcissa eyed her for a moment. "Very well, the downstairs bathroom is being redecorated."

"Of course it is." Molly mumbled causing Narcissa to glare at her.

After a moment she turned back to Ginny and continued. "Up these stairs right here and to the right and down the hall, then take a left and it will be on the....."

Ginny didn't even care to listen to the rest, she just nodded and gave a small smile and started up the stairs, she just needed to get away from the unbearable silence and tension filling the foyer. Once she turned the corner to one of the hallways, she finally heard the others making their way into the dining room and she let out a relieved breath.

She started slowly walking through the hallways in her attempt to find the bathroom and just took in how beautiful the Manor really was. She ran her hand along the wall as she walked, letting it caress each carving and trimming she passed. She came to a door and opened it and saw it was just a hall closet and continued on. She tried looking for some smaller not so nice looking door thinking a bathroom would be behind it, but every door was too beautiful to even think a bathroom could be behind any of them.

"Ok, this one has definitely got to be a bathroom." she said to herself, turning the knob and opening the door into what she guessed was a random guest room.

She let out an impressed whistle and closed the door and kept making her way down the hall. She came to another door and put her hand just over the doorknob to turn it when the door flew open suddenly. She jumped back in surprise and stared up into two silver orbs staring back at her. She just continued to stare into the eyes of Draco Malfoy and tried to find her words.

"Um.....I was just....." she stopped and her eyes drifted over his shoulder and into his bedroom behind him. She couldn't make out anything in it because of how dark it was in there.

Draco noticed her wandering eyes and quickly took a step towards her so that he was in the hallway and their bodies were only inches apart and he slammed the door shut behind him.

"Looking for the bathroom........ I was just looking for the bathroom." she finally managed to get out.

He looked her over for a moment with a sneer on his face and then gestured with his eyebrows and a small nod to the door down the hall.

Ginny turned her head to follow the gesture and saw the door he was indicating. "Oh.... uh, yeah.... thanks." she mumbled and quickly made her way down the hall.

Ginny finally made it to the bathroom and looked at herself in the gigantic mirror that hung over the sink. She almost just walked into Draco Malfoy's bedroom in an effort to find the bathroom she kept thinking to herself. She suddenly let out a small giggle at how awkward the whole thing just was and let out a long breath.

She thought about how Draco looked; from what she was able to make out he looked completely miserable, his eyes had dark circles under them and that famous sneer he gave her wasn't how she remembered it to be. One thing that hadn't changed was the platinum blond hair that could be spotted a mile away, however, it hung more loosely about rather than slicked back or perfectly plastered in place. She suddenly remembered that there were four people downstairs trying not to kill each other and she quickly took another deep breath before making her way back down.

As she neared the dining room, she heard a heated discussion going on and quickened her pace as she entered the room and took a seat beside her Mother. She quickly glanced up to see Draco across from her just casually pushing his food around his plate with an annoyed expression on his face.

She continued sitting there looking over the very unappealing dinner sitting in front of her. She frowned at it, realizing it was nothing near homemade like the dinners her Mother usually makes and knew it was the house elves that most likely made it. She was soon pushing around her food as well as she caught bits and pieces of the argument between both families.

".........And quite frankly, this is the most ridiculous idea Kingsley could have suggested." Narcissa said coldly.

"Yes, well it certainly wouldn't be the first time you've used our family to get in good with the higher ups." Molly snapped back.

Ginny's eyes snapped up at this comment and saw Draco glance her way before they both went back to pushing their food around as Ginny quickly thought back to her first year at Hogwarts.

At this point the whole conversation just took a turn for the worse and became the most friendly insulting conversation Ginny had ever heard, it was quite sad really, but somewhat amusing to her. She could tell they were trying to stick it out until the end of dinner, but they sure weren't using much effort on keeping their insults to themselves.

Draco watched Ginny poke at her food and how she seemed quite unfazed by the insults flying back and forth. He watched her pick up a piece of chicken and give a nasty look at it before tossing it back on her plate. He finally watched her push her plate aside and give up on eating dinner altogether.

Ginny looked around and saw her Mother's pie sitting on the table across the room and got up and made her way over to it. After a moment she finally arrived back at the table with the pie and some smaller plates that were beside it. Draco watched her shake her head in annoyance at another nasty remark being made and continued on cutting herself a piece of pie. She sloppily threw a piece on one plate and then another piece on the second plate and slid the plate across the table so fast that Draco had to quickly hold his hand out to stop it from sliding right into him. Ginny gave a silent giggle and mouthed an "oops" to him before finally feasting on the coconut cream pie before her.

Draco wasn't really sure how to react or respond to her, not that she was waiting for a response; she was in her own little world it seemed and perfectly content with the pie in front of her. He glanced over at the four adults arguing and then down at the piece of pie in front of him and he didn't even try to deny that it looked good and so he went in for a forkful.

About ten minutes later a silence filled the dining room and Ginny felt herself growing more and more bored as the minutes ticked by. She chanced a quick glance over to Lucius and Narcissa to see them trying to avoid any kind of eye contact with her parents and just kept looking down at their plates. A part of her wanted to just burst out into a fit of laughter, but she was thankfully able to suppress the urge.

"So, Lucius, what made you inquire about the head position in the Department of Mysteries?" Arthur asked in an attempt at some civilized conversation.

"Well, not that it's any of your business, but let's leave it at, a certain situation has....... pushed me to inquire about it." Lucius answered in a cold tone.

"I see, very well then, I suppose we're all entitled to our......secrets." Arthur responded.

Lucius looked up at Arthur with a deadly glare and then a slight smirk tugged at his lips. "And just what secrets do you believe I'm keeping?"

"You're not fooling anyone Luc-"

"So Draco, dear, what have you been up to these past few years?" Molly cut in; placing a gentle hand on Arthur's arm to keep him from saying something he'd regret.

Draco just looked up at her and then to his Mother and shook his head slightly with a disgusted sneer before playing with the rest of his pie. Narcissa looked away at the look her son gave her and cleared her throat. "Draco's been keeping himself busy with various activities and furthering his studies." she came up with, making it sound far more impressive than what Draco had been doing these past few years.

Ginny glanced up at Draco to see him shaking his head at his Mother's pathetic excuse for making it sound as if he was doing something far more interesting with his life. He figured she couldn't very well say he had been trapped in his own home because every time he stepped foot outside the wards he was afraid he'd be killed. He figured she really could just say that if she wanted to, but he knew she wouldn't, his parents were too proud to admit that they were in a tough spot and that their family was in danger.

"And you Miss Weasley, what is it that you-" Narcissa stopped to eye Ginny for a moment before continuing. "Have been up to these past few years." she finished with a forced tight smile that would occasionally twitch from how much force was behind it.

Ginny looked up at her with a mouthful of pie and as quickly and as ladylike as possible, swallowed it and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Oh, I was playing professional Quidditch, I was actually-"

"Ugh, Quidditch....... such a barbaric sport if you ask me. They actually pay people to play that for a living?" Narcissa mocked. "But I suppose it's easy money, which in your case....... well..... need I say more." she finished, bringing her wine glass up to her lips and taking a sip.

Ginny's grip on her fork tightened and her eyes burned brightly with anger as she glared at the woman across the table from her. She didn't want to ruin any chances of her Father getting this promotion so she fought back the urge to jump across the table and responded back through clenched teeth. "I suppose."

"Perhaps it's time to cut this dinner short." Molly exclaimed, standing up from her seat in a hurry.

"I think that's wise." Narcissa agreed.

Ginny made it a point to scrape her chair along the sleek tiled floor as she stood up; not taking her eyes off of Narcissa the whole time. She felt her Mother gently put her hands on her shoulders and nudged her towards the foyer.

"Well, thank you Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy for your....... hospitality." Arthur said.

Ginny snickered at the comment and quickly turned back towards the foyer as she waited for her Mother and Father to join her.

"Next time we can have dinner over at the Burrow." Molly suggested.

Narcissa and Lucius looked at each other and then back at Molly.

"Hmm, that certainly would be an........ interesting visit." Narcissa said with some amusement.

Molly glared at the blonde woman across from her. "Let's go Arthur, I'm suddenly feeling sick to my stomach."

Ginny waited for her parents to join her in the foyer and gave one last glance in Draco's direction. He just sat there staring off into space it seemed, lost in his thoughts as the whole previous conversation went by. She finally saw him look up at her and for some reason she did this kind of half wave at him to say bye and then left the Manor. He continued to stare at the spot where she waved goodbye to him and just shook his head.

As soon as the Weasleys were gone, Draco heard his Mother go off on a rant.

"Ugh, that was unbearable, so glad it's over with. TILLY!"

"Suppose it could have gone worse." Lucius lightly commented, receiving a deadly glare from his wife.

"It's just not ever going to work......... we could barely make it through a meal together." Narcissa went on. She turned to the house elf beside her. "Tilly, clear the table and throw that god awful pie out."

"You haven't even tried it." Draco spoke up with annoyance.

"I don't have to try it....... it was made by a Weasley, now Tilly, get rid of it, they could've put something in it." Narcissa demanded.

Draco jumped to his feet and stormed from the room, hearing his Mother call after him, but ignoring her until her shouting was drowned out by the growing distance between them.

_________________________________________________________

"THAT WOMAN.........SHE IS JUST SO....... I DON'T EVEN HAVE WORDS!" Molly shouted; slamming the tea kettle down on the stove.

"Molly, relax, the important thing is that we got through tonight." Arthur said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I know, dear, it's just I know how much this position means to you and I'm not looking forward to the next visit."

"Let's not think about that right now...... let's just have some tea and wind down for the night." he said, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Ginny heard her parents muffled conversation as she headed up to her bedroom for the night; she knew tonight would be awkward, but that........ that was extremely awkward. She wasn't sure why, but her mind kept wandering back to Draco, he just looked so........ disconnected. Something else was definitely going on and she was yearning to know what it was; Draco Malfoy was suddenly a mystery. It's not that Draco wasn't always a mystery, but for some reason or another she found herself wanting to find out more. Maybe it was because she was so bored with her life right now that this is what a sense of adventure was to her.

"Hey Gin, we are heading to bed." came Arthur's voice from the doorway of her bedroom.

"Goodnight, dear." her Mother's voice followed as she cradled a cup of hot tea in her hands.

"Night guys." she sighed as she plopped on her bed.

Molly nodded for Arthur to go on without her as she joined Ginny on her bed. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Ginny shrugged. "Just not tired yet I suppose."

"Well, here, dear, you need it more than I do." Molly said, handing her the fresh cup of tea.

"Thanks, Mum." she said with a small smile.

Molly got up and headed for the door before stopping and turning back towards her. "Are you sure nothing else is wrong?"

Ginny hesitated for a moment before giving her Mum a reassuring smile and nodding.

As soon as she heard her Mother enter her own bedroom, Ginny jumped up from the bed and closed her door and hurried over to a small bookcase in her room. She started rummaging through piles of books and old issues of the Daily Prophet from when her Quidditch team was featured in the paper. She grabbed the stack and threw it on her bed and started flipping through each one vigorously, hoping to catch a glimpse of that one word that's been on her mind all night.

She finally stopped when the word "Malfoy" caught her eye and quickly looked over the article. She gave a frustrated sigh and threw the paper on the floor and continued on through a few more until she found another story about them, but it all said the same stuff. It basically just went over all the details and information gathered from the Malfoy family after the war and what part they played in the whole thing. Ginny wasn't sure why she was even sifting through these papers hoping to find something new about them, what was it that had her so intrigued?

After finally going through the last paper and finding nothing, her eyes fell on an article with a picture of Fred and George. She remembered when the joke shop was featured in the Daily Prophet and George wanted to make it known that it was he and Fred who started the business. She quickly looked away from the article as soon as her eyes fell on it and crumpled it up into a ball and threw it across the room then let her head fall back on her pillow. She let out a frustrated groan and rubbed her face before turning and looking at her clock. She shook her head in annoyance when she saw it was three in the morning and finally decided to change into pajamas.

Why was she disappointed that she didn't find out anything different? Was she just so bored that she was hoping there would be more to the Malfoy's story than they told?

"Well, if that's true, then you're seriously messed up Ginny Weasley." she mumbled to herself.

She turned off her lamp and slid into bed and let her eyes drift over to the article on the floor beside her bed. Her eyes rereading the word "Malfoy" over and over until finally her eyes fell closed and she drifted off into a restless sleep.

_____________________________________________________

Draco jolted up out of his sleep, his heart racing and his clothes soaked in sweat. He buried his face in his hands as he thought back to the nightmare he just had and how real it felt. He threw the covers off himself and ran to the bathroom as a wave of nausea came over him. He turned the water on and started splashing it over his face, hoping that the images from his nightmare would soon stop flooding his mind. He stared at his pale reflection in the mirror as his lips trembled to fight down the overwhelming nauseous feeling.

Closing his eyes to steady his breathing, he was immediately able to hear the screaming from his nightmare and he had a metallic taste in his mouth. He suddenly realized he must have bitten down on his tongue or cheek and had a mouthful of blood, but before he could rinse his mouth out he lost the battle and threw himself over the toilet to vomit.

After rinsing his mouth out, Draco decided a late night stroll around the garden would hopefully put his mind in a better place. On his way downstairs, he was surprised to see the light in his parents' room shining from beneath their door and he quietly made his way over to it. He heard them deep in conversation about the dreadful dinner event that took place only hours earlier and he pressed his ear gently against the door to listen.

"We are running out of options and this could very well be the only way to further-"

"Running out of options?" Narcissa cut in. "We are already out of options Lucius. I hate that we are being forced into doing something that we would never even imagine doing, but we need to think about what's best now. We will just have to keep playing the part I guess." She sighed in annoyance.

"I don't think there's much of a part to play anymore, the whole dinner was atrocious, so I believe that opportunity has come and gone." Lucius casually said, as if he knew that's how the evening was going to turn out; like he never really had much hope for a pleasant outcome in the first place.

"So what now?" Draco barely heard his Mother ask in a low voice. "Do you think we may need to leave the Manor ......."

Draco didn't care to hear the end of that sentence, all he could think about was how bad things had gotten for them. His Mother was completely different from the well put together woman he always knew her to be; the tone of her voice and the way she spoke was even different. Both his parents had become completely defeated and he could see it every day in them more and more, no matter how good of a show they put on for him or anyone else.

He opened the doors to the garden and felt the night air hit his face, a feeling he had come to enjoy a great deal these past couple of years. The air around the Manor was the only kind of fresh air he was able to get and as much as he enjoyed it, he missed the different smells and scenery that came with different surroundings. His thoughts traveled back to his parent's conversation and how they were seriously thinking of leaving the Manor....... the only home he had ever known. He would miss it, but he also knew some of the darker events that took place here that he wouldn't mind leaving behind.

Was dinner really that bad? He thought to himself......... yeah...... yeah it was he had decided on. The Weasleys sure were an interesting bunch, he thought about how it would have gone if the whole clan had showed up. He wasn't sure why his thoughts suddenly fell on the youngest Weaslette, she was....... different. She was just as bored with the evening as he was and couldn't stand the constant arguing and bickering between their parents. He expected a lot more hostility from her honestly, especially after her brother was killed. Regardless of the side his family ended up on after the battle, they had still done awful things, even with his Mother saving Potter's life in the Forbidden Forest that day.

Seeing Ginny Weasley tonight for him brought back so many memories of his past, something that he wasn't keen on having his mind on all night. He refused to let his mind go back to those dreadful memories right now and decided to just turn in for the night. As he walked back up to his room, he wasn't sure why, but all he could think about was that he hoped that wasn't the last time he would see the Weasleys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Your thoughts???


	3. Chapter 3

Ginny woke up the next morning with last night's events still on her mind as she dragged herself all the way down to the kitchen. Her hair was one giant knotted mess and she was still rubbing her eyes and yawning as she plopped herself down at the table. She saw her Mother, as always, bustling about the kitchen baking away, making Ginny take note of a basket on the table full of fresh muffins.

"Oooo, banana nut, my favorite." She said, stretching her hand out to grab one.

"No, no, no." Molly quickly said, slapping Ginny's hand away from the freshly baked goods.

"Ouch, why can't I have one?" Ginny whined, rubbing her hand.

"Those are for the Malfoy family as a Thank you for dinner last night."

"A thank you? They should be thanking us for even showing up." Ginny snorted.

"As horrid as it was... and it was, it's still a nice gesture and we need to remain civil towards each other."

"I guess." Ginny mumbled.

"Oh, dear, I suppose I'll have to cancel my lunch date with your Father today. I need to drop this basket off and I won't be able to meet him in time for his break." Molly sighed.

Ginny watched her Mother for a few more moments in silence as she contemplated something in her head. "Uh... I could always drop it off." she finally said.

"What? Oh no Ginny, dear, you don't have to do that. Besides, I rather you don't go alone there."

"Mum, please, it's not like they're going to murder me, I mean we are trying to be civilized towards each other so I highly doubt taking out the youngest Weasley will give them any credibility points." she said sarcastically.

Molly turned to look at her and debated the idea for a moment before finally agreeing. "Alright, but please be careful... they are not friendly people."

"Yeah, I've noticed." she mumbled before getting up from the table and heading upstairs to get ready.

Ginny landed with a stumble just outside of Malfoy Manor; her hair once again flying all over the place. She noticed one of the muffins fall out of the basket and onto the ground and fought the urge to pick it up and place it back inside. Instead, she finally decided to cast a simple spell on it that made it disintegrate completely, leaving a burning banana smell around her.

"Yuck." she mumbled, waving her hand to clear the air.

She used her hands to smooth her long hair out and proceeded through the wards and to the front door. She paused for a moment to look over her wardrobe choice and gave a quick shrug; there was no way she was throwing on a dress and doing her hair just to deliver muffins to the Malfoys. She rang the doorbell and was surprised by the elegant chime sound it gave off, which tempted her to press it again, but she refrained from doing so. The large door slowly opened and a small house elf appeared in the doorway gesturing for her to come in.

"Oh, hello...uh Tilly right?" Ginny softly spoke to the small elf.

Just as Tilly was about to speak, Narcissa's voice rang out. "Miss Weasley? What are you doing here?" she demanded, quickly making her way over and taking in Ginny's poor choice of apparel making her face twist into a look of disgust as she looked over the faded ripped jeans she wore.

"Oh, hi Mrs. Malfoy, my Mum sent this over as a thank you for-"

"No, no, that's quite alright." she quickly cut her off.

"Excuse me?" Ginny asked confused.

"You can take those back with you, we both know your family needs it more and we would just haaaaate to take away from you's." she said in a snide tone.

"But-"

"You can go now." Narcissa said, waving her hand for her to leave as she started walking away.

Ginny fought with everything in her not to pick up a muffin and chuck it right at the back of her head, but instead she continued with the real reason of why she came.

"Is Draco here?" She asked suddenly, placing the basket down on the floor in case her hands decided to throw the whole thing at the blonde across the room.

Narcissa stopped and turned around again, taking a few steps closer to her. "What business do you have with my son?"

"Uh... Business?" Ginny asked; a look of confusion on her face. "There is no "business" I was just wondering-"

"I can assure you, Draco has no interest in seeing you or any other Weasley, now I'm sure you can see yourself out." She snapped coldly before turning and storming down the hall.

Ginny's lips trembled with anger and a bit of shock at just how cold Narcissa Malfoy could be. Staring at the back of Narcissa until she was out of sight, Ginny turned to leave before stopping and looking at the staircase in front of her. She bit her lip in deep thought before she finally decided to grab the basket of muffins and sprint up the stairs. The thought of getting caught sneaking around the Malfoy's house brought an adrenaline like none other as Ginny cautiously made her way towards Draco's room.

She started opening doors again and soon came to the same guest bedroom she entered last night, which confirmed she was going in the right direction. She came to the door that she was sure belonged to Draco's room and followed the angle to the bathroom down the hall. Realizing it was the same door where she ran into him the previous night, she lightly knocked on it. There was no answer so she knocked a bit harder this time, which still went unnoticed. She placed her ear against the door to see if she could hear him in there and then she slowly turned the knob and opened the door.

Ginny was met with complete darkness; the only light in the room was the few rays of sunlight shining through the curtains and the light from the hall. From what she could make out the room seemed to be a mess and somewhat trashed, she could hear pieces of glass beneath her shoes crunching as she stepped further into the room.

"Looks like the house elves have been neglecting your room." she teased into the darkness.

The sound of Ginny's voice made Draco's eyes snap open and jump up out of bed.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE WEASLEY?" he yelled.

"Oh relax, your Mother said I could come up and say hello." she said casually, setting the basket of muffins down on a small clear area on a nearby table.

He just stared at her, his eyes wide and a look of disbelief on his face that Ginny could barely make out.

"Go ask her if you don't believe me." Ginny continued, placing a hand on her hip.

"Why are you here?" he snapped, still trying to process why a Weasley was standing in his bedroom.

"Oh, my Mum wanted to send-"

"NO! I mean, why are you in my room?" he demanded, anger rising in his voice.

"I don't know, I just wanted to say hello... I brought muffins... banana nut." she said with a smile.

"I hate banana nut." he snapped.

"Oh please, stop lying, who doesn't like banana nut? There's some chocolate chip ones too, or do you hate those as well?" Ginny challenged him.

He just stared at her with a surprised and somewhat horrified look etched on his face that quickly turned into an angry sneer. "You need to get out...NOW!" he yelled, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her to the door.

"Alright, alright, calm down, I'm sure you need to get back to those studies and all." she giggled as he pushed her out into the hall.

She turned to face him and saw him open and close his mouth a few times in an attempt to say something to her, but nothing came out.

"You ok?" she asked with some amusement in her voice as she looked at the unreadable expression on his face.

"Get the hell out of here Weasley." he snapped before slamming the door in her face.

Ginny smiled to herself at how riled up Draco got over the weird encounter with her in his bedroom as she made her way back through the halls and downstairs. Why she was so determined to talk to Draco was still a mystery to her, but she sure enjoyed the rush of adrenaline and feelings it brought on. She was so wrapped up in what just happened that she wasn't even keeping watch to make sure she didn't get caught when she suddenly came face to face with Lucius Malfoy.

They were both surprised to see the other standing in front of one another and then there was silence for a moment or so before Lucius finally spoke. "Miss Weasley, may I ask why you are wandering the halls of the Manor?"

"I was just... uh dropping off a thank you basket from my Mum and had to uh... use the bathroom." she quickly thought, cursing herself for making the lie she just told sound clear as day.

He just stared at her for a moment before looking away. "Under the circumstances of which both our families seem to find ourselves in, perhaps it's best I turn the other cheek on this and you leave immediately." he drawled, before resting his eyes on her again.

She quickly nodded and sprinted for the door as fast as she could and then stopped when she heard him speak again.

"And Miss Weasley... I better not catch you sneaking around again." he warned in such a sinister tone that Ginny felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

She couldn't help but glare at him for a moment before turning back around and quickly made her way towards the door, letting out a sigh of relief when she made it out of the Manor and through the wards. Biting her lip with a slight smile growing on her face, she waved her wand and with a small pop apparated back to the Burrow.

Draco was pacing back and forth in his room going over what just happened, why would a Weasley willingly make a trip up to his bedroom? Why was she so bubbly and giddy... were these muffins poisoned? Was his Mother right all along? He ate the pie last night and nothing happened. He walked over to the basket sitting on the table and grabbed one of the banana nut ones and sniffed it; god it smelled heavenly.

"Nah, they are too nice to off any of us." he whispered to himself before taking a bite out of the muffin.

He sighed and slumped down onto the couch enjoying the delicious muffin that attacked every taste bud with such flavor and moist goodness. The only thing he could think of was how the Weaslette was right... how could anyone not like banana nut muffins.

Later that evening Draco made his way down to dinner after his Mother's insisting nagging that he join them. His parents looked like they wanted to tell him something, but he already had a pretty good idea of what that was. Taking a seat at the table, he saw his Mother's eyes fall on him and he locked eyes with her, a bit of a sneer on his face.

"You know one of these days I'd like you to be to dinner on time instead of having to send a house elf up to get you." She simply said, taking a sip from her wine glass.

"Wouldn't be the first time you sent people to my room without asking." he snapped back.

She looked at him with a bit of confusion. "What are you talking about Draco? You know I never let anyone up to your room unless it's a house elf."

"You mean you didn't send W-...nevermind, I guess it was a dream." Draco mumbled, quickly dismissing it.

He couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips as he realized how the Weaslette got one over on him and then saw his Father looking at him questioningly.

"You need to do something with yourself Draco, your Father and I are trying to decide if maybe it's time we put the Manor behind us and move away from here." Narcissa quickly spoke, avoiding eye contact with him.

Draco just shook his head in annoyance. "So you're not going to accept the Weasley's invitation to their shack of a house?" he asked casually, slumping back against his chair.

"You seem disappointed son." Lucius spoke up.

"Not disappointed, just... what's going to be different if we move? Nothing, that's what... instead of actually trying to get along with the Weasl-"

"They aren't like us Draco, that will never work." Narcissa said sternly.

"Why?"

"BECAUSE IT JUST WON'T!" she yelled, looking at him fiercely.

The whole room stayed quiet for what seemed like eternity. Draco just shook his head and stood up from the table.

"You know... I rather rot away in my bedroom than to keep running away from my problems... my life would just end up being one big lie." he said before storming out of the room.

Draco was halfway up the stairs when Lucius grabbed him by the arm and turned him around to face him.

"Why was the Weasley girl in your room today?" he asked firmly, but quiet enough so Narcissa wouldn't hear them from the dining room.

Draco just stared at him for a moment. "I don't know what you're talking about." he spat, ripping his arm from his grasp and continuing up the steps.

"I know she was in there because I ran into her on her way out."

Draco stopped and let out a long sigh before turning back around to face his Father. "I don't know why she was in there; she was... dropping off muffins or whatever."

"Muffins?"

"Yes, Muffins" Draco snapped.

"Are you sure that was all?"

"Yes... and to say hi, apparently... I don't know; the whole thing was weird."

"What could she be up too?" Lucius whispered more to himself than anything.

Draco just shook his head and continued up the steps. "Maybe she's actually making an effort." he yelled sarcastically as he turned the corner.

Draco slammed his bedroom door shut and threw himself on his bed; why the hell was he defending the Weasley family? He really couldn't stand the whole lot of them, but he was willing to play the part if it meant he could actually be welcomed back into the Wizarding World. He would be happy with just being able to run an errand without being scouted or attacked and threatened.

He got up from his bed and walked over to the basket of muffins again and picked one of them up. He thought back to his reaction to seeing her in his bedroom and then he thought about her reaction. She was completely calm about the entire thing and found it amusing... why though?

"Just what are you really up to Weaslette?"

It had been a few days since Ginny's encounter with Draco in his bedroom and everyday since she found her thoughts only on that. She even forced herself to help George and Percy out at the joke shop for a few days to keep her mind off of the whole thing. She was just thankful it was finally the weekend because she was meeting Harry for lunch and didn't feel like tagging along with her parents to Ron and Hermione's place to talk about the wedding.

She heard a tap on the window and saw a white and gray owl waiting patiently for her to accept the letter. She was already sighing when she recognized the handwriting on the envelope knowing exactly what it probably said.

Gin,

Something came up, need to reschedule our lunch date...sorry.

Harry

She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it as hard she could against the wall.

"UGH! YOU'RE A REAL BLOODY GIT HARRY POTTER!" she shouted at the ceiling before throwing herself back on her bed.

She was already dressed and ready to meet him and now she was stuck in this house with nothing to do and nobody to do it with. She was so sick of feeling alone all the time, she couldn't even hang out with her own family because they were always busy or asking too many questions.

She suddenly sat up and had a thought, and without hesitation she grabbed her wand and apparated to Malfoy Manor.

Ginny knocked on the large door before her that she seemed to find herself in front of a lot these days. She waited for a minute or so before Tilly popped her head out to greet her and invited her to come inside.

"Hi Tilly, is Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy here?" she asked, looking around for them.

"No, Miss Weasley, they are visiting with the Zabini fam-"

"Oh great, "she cut the house elf off before making her way up the stairs."Oh, Draco is here, though?" she stopped to ask the elf.

Tilly nodded.

"Thanks," she smiled at her before running the rest of the way up the stairs.

She had the way to Draco's room memorized now and wasted no time making her way up to it.

Draco had been trying to read the same page of his book at least ten times before he just started flipping past each page absent-mindedly. It wasn't very often that his parents left the Manor and he didn't much care to accompany them on this particular outing. All he heard was the crackling of the fresh fire burning and the sound of each page turning before a quick light knock was heard. He completely froze in place for a moment before jumping to his feet and grabbing his wand.

He neared the door slowly with his wand tightly gripped and a lump forming in his throat as he feared the worst was waiting for him behind that door. He heard the knock again and then the doorknob began to turn before the door was pushed open and the last person he expected to see stood before him.

"Weasley? What the- Don't you know how to wait for a response before you open a closed door?" he spat, as he lowered his wand and sighed in relief.

"Don't you know how to answer when someone knocks?" she shot back.

"Why are you here? AGAIN?" he demanded.

Ginny entered the messy room and took in Draco's appearance right away. "Wow, cut back on the shaving I see." she teased.

Draco brought a hand up to the scruff growing on his face and cleared his throat to avoid the embarrassment of the Weaslette seeing him in such a state.

"AGAIN, WHY ARE YOU HERE?" he repeated, this time much more loud and angry.

"You really need to clean your room" she continued on, picking up a dirty sock from the armchair she was about to sit in. Ginny noticed Draco getting ready to lose his temper which made her smirk and quickly answered his question before he could go off on her. "I was wondering if you want to grab some lunch with me," she simply said, folding her arms and looking at him expectantly.

He just stood there staring at her as the words tried to sink in and he desperately tried to think of what to say. "What?"

"I said, I was wondering if you want-"

"No, I know what you said I mean...why? Why are you even wasting your time coming here and talking to me?"

"Because my plans got cancelled and I got nothing else to do and technically we are suppose to be acting civil towards each other so...why not?"

Again Draco just stood there and thought about everything she said, he felt like the whole thing was moving way too fast. He hadn't seen this girl in almost five years and now here she was suddenly in his bedroom asking him to join her for lunch... him, the guy who tormented her and her family and friends all through school. The same man who bared the Dark Mark and stood on the same side as Voldemort... the side responsible for killing her brother.

He then started to think how great it would be to get out of the Manor, but the vivid nightmares that haunted his sleep made him realize it wasn't a good idea. "Hell no, leave me alone Weasley and stop showing up uninvited." he snapped, walking over to the door and holding it open for her to leave.

"Come on Draco, why not?"

"BECAUSE WEASLEY! I'm not very welcomed out there... it's better this way, plus I don't want to be seen in public with your freckled face, NOW LEAVE."

"First off, I barely have any freckles anymore and second, that's just it, you'll be with me, if hanging out with a Weasley in public doesn't show that you've changed, then what else will?" she pointed out.

"And how do you know I've changed?" he asked, locking eyes with her intensely.

She got up and walked over to him until she was about a foot away. "I don't," she smiled and then walked out into the hall.

Draco had a million thoughts running through his head, one of which was "is this a chance he really wanted to take?" But he figured if he was seen with a Weasley then nobody would bother him...well he hoped not.

"FINE!" he yelled at the retreating form of the redhead down the hall.

She turned around with this giant satisfied smile on her face and ran back into his room. "YES! Now go shave, you look horrid and take a bloody shower!" she teased as a bright smile covered her face.

He just shook his head and headed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. The whole situation with the Weaslette was a shock to his brain for sure, but he figured he'd just go along with it for now. He opened the bathroom door slightly and peeked out to see what she was up to and saw her slowly pacing around his room and looking at a few books he had lying around. Deciding that she didn't seem to be up to anything devious, he closed the door and finished getting ready.

Almost a half hour later, Ginny found herself lying on the couch going through a pile of letters she had found scattered throughout the room.

"YOU ALMOST DONE?" she shouted. She heard the bathroom door open and turned to look at him. "Finally" she said before turning back to the letter in her hand. "Wow, someone really doesn't like you."

She jumped in surprise when Draco quickly snatched the pile from her and the one in her hand. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU GOING THROUGH MY THINGS?!" he hissed at her.

"Relax, they were all about the room practically on display, I didn't have to go through anything." she snapped back, standing up from the couch. "What are those anyway... they almost sound like death threats."

Draco froze for a moment before stuffing the pile of papers in a nearby drawer. "That's because they are." he mumbled.

"Oh" was all Ginny could say. "From who?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know, probably numerous people... it doesn't matter, let's get this over with already." he said, quickly dismissing the letters.

"Alright," she responded, holding out her hand for him to take.

He just looked at her outstretched hand and then at her. "What are you doing?"

"Well, you're the only one who can apparate from inside the wards."

He shook his head in annoyance and instead of grabbing her hand, he grabbed her upper arm a bit more roughly than he could have avoided and apparated to Diagon Alley.

As soon as Draco's feet hit the ground his head was in a whirlwind of emotions, he suddenly became very aware that he was outside of the Manor for the first time in almost three years. Sure, he had been out here and there to visit the Zabini family or some other errand that his Father would drag him along on, but out in public like this was something he was a lot less prepared for then he thought. He heard the muffled sound of Ginny going on about her arm and his rough handling of her. He quickly looked from left to right before backing up against the brick wall of the back alley they were in as the sounds of the people out on the street ahead clouded his mind.

"Draco...DRACO!"

He looked up at the Weaslette; her honey brown eyes locking with his as she looked at him with some concern.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Weasley." he snapped, desperately trying to shake off the nervous feeling he had. "Now where are we going?"

"Well, there's this new place that just opened and it's amazing, but it's always so crowded so we might have to wait for-"

"NO!" he yelled, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat.

"Alright, alright, I get it... not ready to mingle yet. Let's just head to this small pub down this way... there's hardly ever anyone there." she said leading the way.

They didn't pass many people on the way to the tiny pub, but the few they did pass stopped and stared at the unlikely duo. Ginny didn't notice, but Draco sure did, he could only imagine what was going through people's minds, not that he cared. What he did care about, were the ones who chose to act on those hateful thoughts.

He was quickly pulled from his thoughts when Ginny opened the door to the pub and went inside. Draco looked around the small bar and saw that it was indeed deserted with just one or two drunks sitting in the corner. Draco led the way to the very back of the pub and plopped down in a chair across from Ginny.

"Secluded enough for you?" she sarcastically mumbled as she sat down.

"I suppose... if I remember correctly the food here is trash"

"Yeah, well you wanted privacy so this is what you get and looks like we're having fries for lunch, I mean, how badly can they mess those up." she said jumping up and walking over to the counter to order.

Ginny told the man her order and waited patiently at the counter for it. She turned to look at Draco, whose eyes were darting all around as if someone was going to suddenly attack him. Her thoughts traveled back to the letters she found scattered about his bedroom and how he was so quick to drop the subject.

"Miss Weasley, you do know that's Draco Malfoy you're sitting with?" said the man behind the counter, pulling Ginny from her thoughts.

She looked at the man with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah... and?"

The man leaned closer to her and whispered. "If you need help just blink or nod and I'll-"

"What? We're having lunch," she snapped angrily.

He just looked at her funny and then placed her order on the counter for her to take. She reached up for it and he quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. "I would be careful if I were you... being seen with a Death Eater won't look good on your part."

"Ex-Death Eater" Ginny corrected him, narrowing her eyes.

She ripped her arm from the man's grasp and took her order over to the table.

"Guess people really do hate you." she said, glaring back over at the man behind the bar.

"No surprise there." Draco drawled, following Ginny's glare and sneering at the man.

"Anyway, so... why aren't you with Blaise today instead?"

"What?" Draco quickly asked, a bit taken aback by the sudden question.

"Blaise? Zabini? Tilly said your parents were visiting them, why didn't you go? Thought you guys were pretty good friends." she casually said, dipping a French fry in the massive mound of ketchup she squirted onto the plate.

"Oh, uh... yeah, I just didn't feel like going I guess... and stop being nosy."

"Nosy? I'm making conversation." she giggled.

"Alright then... what plans did you have that "miraculously" got cancelled that made you come to your best friend Draco Malfoy instead?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"I had plans to meet Harry for lunch, but he cancelled." she simply said, digging through the fries to find the perfect one to eat next. "Not that I'm surprised."

Draco watched her and looked at the pile of fries before him questioningly. He opened his mouth to say something when Ginny cut him off.

"And before you make a snide remark about Harry and me, just know that we aren't together... that was over a while ago."

Draco looked at her for a moment, she was definitely different then he had remembered, she just seemed too carefree, although if he looked deeper he could see that wasn't the case... something was off.

"What happened?" he finally asked.

Ginny shrugged, "I don't know... just wasn't meant to be I guess... we were too different I suppose or just wanted different things. Apparently, though, we can't seem to hold a friendship since he is always busy or cancelling plans or...let's just drop it." she said, becoming annoyed by her own response.

He looked at her for a few moments noticing how she avoided eye contact with him while she spoke of her relationship with Harry. He could tell there was more to the story and she was indeed holding back, but was undecided if he should press her on it. He decided that he certainly didn't want to discuss anything about himself or what the last five years have been like for him so he went for it.

"You sure seem riled up at the fact that Potter has plans that don't include you." he stated, deciding to go in for a french fry.

Ginny stopped shuffling through fries for a moment to glance up at him, watching him decide against the greasy fry in his hand and place it back down on the plate. "Well, we are still friends... well, I thought so anyway." she said more to herself as she focused her eyes back on the plate before her.

"Hmm"

"What does that mean?" she snapped suddenly.

"It doesn't mean anything... just hmm."

"Listen you-"

"Miss Weasley?"

Ginny and Draco both turned to see the Pub owner standing before them.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you both to leave?"

"Why?" Ginny snapped.

"Well, it may come as no surprise, but his kind is not welcomed here and neither is anyone who associates with him." the man said firmly. "Now please go before we have a problem."

Ginny jumped up from her seat. "HOW DARE YOU! ARE YOU INSINUATING THAT-"

"STOP!" Draco shouted, cutting her off from saying anything more. "Let's just get out of here." he said, quickly making his way towards the exit.

Ginny glared at the man once more and went to leave before she turned around to speak. "And by the way, these fries tasted like crap." she spat before storming out of the pub.

She got outside and looked around for Draco and finally found him in one of the back alleys. He seemed panicked and lost in thought as he frantically looked all around him to make sure nobody was around.

"Hey, are you ok? What's wrong?" she asked him and received no answer from him. "DRACO?" she called out to him, placing a hand on his arm.

He looked at her hand and then at her before he quickly moved away from her and started walking. "This was a bad idea... we need to leave."

"Damn and those fries were so good too." Ginny groaned.

Draco looked at her and shook his head. "Let's go." he said, getting ready to grab her arm and apparate.

She quickly grabbed her arm back and looked at him. "You're just going to leave? What's wrong with you? When did you become so spineless? The Draco Malfoy I know would have told that man-"

"JUST STOP IT!" He yelled at her, making her look at him with even more confusion. "Things are different now Weasley... being a Malfoy now means nothing more than having to watch your back. The sooner you realize that the better."

"Just because someone sends you a few death threats and a man throws you out of his pub doesn't mean the whole Wizarding World is after you." Ginny teased.

"IT'S MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT!" he shouted, growing angrier at her lack of knowledge over the situation, even though he knew it wasn't her fault.

"Well then why don't you explain it?" she said through clenched teeth as she also grew angry at the way he was speaking to her.

He looked at her, his mouth wanting to say something, but all he could do was look away. "I can't... not now anyway." he finally whispered.

They were both quiet; neither of them said or looked at each other, then a voice made them both look up.

"What's going on back here?" said a man walking towards them.

Ginny recognized him from the Ministry when she was on her way to visit Harry for their many cancelled lunches. She figured he must be an Auror since that's where she always saw him about the office. She saw his eyes immediately take in the situation and fall on Draco and then back to her.

"Mr. Malfoy... been a while since you were in Diagon Alley... any special reason why you're here today?"

Draco sneered at the man. "Didn't know socializing was a crime now." he drawled, attempting to walk past the man.

The man roughly grabbed him and pushed him up against the wall before pulling out his wand and pointing it at Draco. "Not so fast... and in your case, socializing can mean many things."

"Excuse me, but you have no right to use such force on him for no reason." Ginny snapped angrily, pushing the man's arm away from Draco that was holding him against the wall.

"Miss Weasley, I must strongly urge you not to put your hands on a Ministry official again and to keep your nose out of this."

Draco noticed Ginny's grip tightening around the wand in her pocket. "I was just leaving." Draco quickly said.

"Perhaps that's wise and since you seem to have an accomplice, be sure to take her with you."

"ACCOMPL-" Ginny was cut off by Draco grabbing her arm and apparating back to Malfoy Manor.

"HOW DARE HIM! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS! MY FATHER IS GOING TO HEAR ABOUT THIS-"

"NO! You're not telling anyone Weasley... And you're starting to sound like me." Draco smirked, plopping down on the couch in his room.

"But Draco, you didn't do anything... are you not allowed to just have a casual outing?"

"JUST DROP IT!"

She just stared at him with her arms folded and shook her head with annoyance. "FINE" she finally mumbled. "Well, let's go make our own lunch then." she said, making her way out of the room.

Draco sluggishly got up and followed her downstairs. "You know we could just have the house elves make it."

"Yuck, sorry, but they don't do a very good job; now lead the way to the kitchen."

Draco wasn't sure why his legs automatically took him towards the kitchen; he didn't even know why he hadn't kicked the Weaslette out of his house by now. Perhaps it was the company, someone new to finally talk to after being stuck in this prison he called home. Yes, he hated her, he couldn't stand her upbeat attitude and wanted to just slap the smile right off her face. She had absolutely no clue about anything in his life and the fact that she tried to make it seem like she possibly could just made him angry.

Just as they got downstairs, a loud pop was heard and Lucius and Narcissa appeared. Draco grabbed Ginny and flung her behind the side of the stairs against the wall so his parents wouldn't see her. She went to yell something insulting out he was sure, but he firmly covered her mouth with his hand.

"Shh, my parents would flip out if they knew you were here... especially since my Father already thinks you're up to no good. Just stay here, I'll be right b-EWWW!" he yelled, moving his hand away from her mouth when he felt her tongue licking his palm. "THAT'S DISGUSTING YOU-"

"Draco?"

Draco's eyes grew wide and then shot Ginny's silent giggling body a deadly glare.

"Mother... Father... Didn't realize you were home." he said, casually walking out from around the staircase.

"Who are you talking to?" Narcissa asked, stretching her neck to try and see around the corner.

"Oh, nobody, just myself... I would go mad in this place if I didn't really."

"Hmm" was all she said, looking him over.

Everything got silent suddenly and before they could question him further he kept the conversation going. "So how was lunch?"

"My my Draco, you're certainly very vocal today and out of your room, which in itself is shocking." Lucius drawled; receiving a casual shrug from his son.

"Lunch was fine dear, Mrs. Zabini asked about you and why you didn't come along, but she understood... she's still struggling with-"

"You know what, I'm not feeling too well, I think I'm just going to go lie down." he quickly cut her off and started heading back up the stairs.

"Alright dear, DINNER'S AT SIX!" Narcissa called up to him before following Lucius down the hall.

Draco quickly ran back downstairs to where he left Ginny and saw she wasn't there anymore. He heard the front door open and he ran after her and out into the front of the house.

"HEY!" he called out to her, watching her stop and turn around to face him.

She took a few steps towards him and a slight smile spread across her face. "Aren't you worried your parents will see me?" she teased.

"Listen Weaslette; don't say anything to your Father about what happened...I'm serious about this."

"Why not?"

"Because, if my parents knew I was in Diagon Alley today... and especially with you... JUST keep your mouth shut."

Ginny shook her head in disagreement but eventually muttered a small "fine"

"Are we going to try this again sometime?" she asked him.

"Hell no"

"Why not?"

He just stared at her for a moment. "You're completely mental, Weasley, " he said before turning and walking back into the house.

Ginny just rolled her eyes in frustration and stormed through the ward and apparated back to the Burrow.

Draco was just about to make his way upstairs when his Father's voice made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Draco, I'd like a word with you." He said firmly.

Already knowing what it was about he closed his eyes and let out a hard sigh before turning around and joining his Father at the bottom of the steps.

"Yes, Father?"

"Why was the Weasley girl here again? Was she here the whole time we were gone?" he asked in an angry tone.

"What? No, of course not, don't be absurd Father." he said, turning to go back upstairs.

Lucius grabbed him roughly by the arm and pulled him back around. "Do you take me for some kind of fool Draco?"

"Well-"

"Stop while you're ahead, I don't want to see her here again unless there is an invite, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal" Draco drawled through the angry sneer on his face.

He ripped his arm from his Father's grasp and finished heading upstairs, feeling his Father's eyes on him the entire time. Once he was in his room, he let his mind go to the very odd and unexpected afternoon he had with the Weaslette. He still couldn't wrap his mind around why she kept wandering over here, but then again, he also couldn't wrap his mind around why he even agreed to go out to lunch with her in the first place. Out of all her friends and family how was there not someone else who could fill in for her cancelled plans... it just didn't make sense.

Draco sprawled out across the couch with a heavy sigh and rubbed his face as today's events replayed in his head. Suddenly remembering how the Weaslette's tongue was all over his hand that was now rubbing his eyes, he quickly jumped up with a look of disgust and headed towards the bathroom to wash his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys so what are your thoughts so far? Give this story a chance, there will be a whole lot more to it in the later chapters.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! Give this story a chance, some questions will be answered as the story continues so just have a little patience. I struggled with the story for a while and have rewritten certain chapters many times before I thought it came out how I wanted it to. I'm so sorry to anyone who is put off by some of the minor grammar mistakes; I really do try to proofread everything I post. Hope you all enjoy!

Ginny awoke the next morning with a lot on her mind, the main thing being Draco Malfoy; why she let the blond constantly invade her thoughts these days was beyond her. There was just something so mysterious about the darn bugger that she enjoyed trying to figure out, but that was a mystery she knew would most likely never be solved.

She could hear talking from down in the kitchen and figured they had company for breakfast, probably one of her brothers, so she went straight to the bathroom and got showered and dressed before she made her morning appearance. She pulled on some tight jeans and one of her many faded T-shirts and threw her hair up in a messy ponytail then headed downstairs.

As she walked into the kitchen, she was quite surprised to see it was Harry who was at the table in deep conversation with her Father.

"Oh, Harry... thought it was George or something down here." She said taking a seat across from him.

"Hey Gin, I needed to talk to Mr. Weasley about some work stuff and thought I'd apologize in person for once again cancelling on you."

"It's fine Harry... I guess I'll forgive you." she smirked, receiving a small smile from him. Ginny reached over and grabbed a piece of toast and took in her Father's work attire with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you were off today Dad?"

"I am, however, I have a meeting with Mr. Chamberlain today in the Auror department." he said casually, picking up the Daily Prophet from the table and skimming through it.

As soon as Ginny heard the name she suddenly remembered the Auror from Diagon Alley yesterday and knew his face looked familiar.

"Oh, well, what's so important that it can't wait until tomorrow?" she pressed on.

"Actually, it's about Draco Malfoy... apparently he was in Diagon Alley yesterday and a local pub owner was concerned about his sudden appearance."

Ginny's eyes went wide and she thought back to her outing with Draco yesterday."I don't understand; why is that concerning?" she asked in annoyance.

"I suppose it just has some people on edge to see any of the Malfoy family out and about, especially because they haven't been spotted in the public eye in quite some time."Arthur sighed.

"So why a meeting about it?" she quickly asked.

"It's probably just a quick check in Gin; Chamberlain supposedly was in the area yesterday and is just going over any suspicious activity that might have gone on."Harry shrugged, dumping the rest of his juice in his mouth and getting up from the table. "Well, I'm going to head out a bit earlier... meet you there Arthur?"

"Certainly" Arthur mumbled through a mouthful of eggs.

Ginny jumped up as he stood and everyone's eyes fell on her. "Uh, Harry... I'll walk you out."

"Ok," he said, looking at her questioningly.

She was behind him in a moment, practically pushing him out the front door before anyone could question her sudden urge to walk him out.

"What's going on Gin?" he asked.

"I need to tell you something," she said quietly as she closed the front door behind her. "But you can't say anything to my parents."

"Why? What is it?"

She hesitated for a moment," Listen, I was with Draco yesterday in Diagon Alley...I -"

"WAIT WHAT?"

"SHH! Harry please be quiet, I really don't want a lecture from my parents"

"FINE, THEN I'LL GIVE YOU ONE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HANGING OUT WITH DRACO MALFOY?"

"Dammit Harry I said to be quiet, "she hissed, dragging him out towards the grassy field."And by the way I can hang out with whoever I damn well please."

"Is this because I cancelled our plans?"

"WHAT? NO!"

"Because if it is-"

"IT'S NOT!" she yelled angrily, making him fall silent when he saw the fierce glare she gave him. "It's not... I just figured since our plans were cancelled, I would try to help Dad out by playing nice with the Malfoys that's all."

"Well, don't, just stick to dinner plans with your parents and them, don't take matters into your own hands... you need to be careful Ginny"

"Why? You do realize they are just regular people, what is so bad about it?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ok, scratch that question," she mumbled, thinking about the history they had involving the Malfoys.

"Please Ginny, trust me on this"

"Fine, whatever, just please don't say anything to my parents."

"I won't, but Chamberlain will...I'll wait until Arthur gets to the Ministry and tell him before the meeting so he is prepared when your name comes up, but that's the best I can do."

Ginny let out a long frustrated sigh, "Fine, thanks...I guess," she said, turning to make her way back inside and then stopped. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"What came up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday when you cancelled our lunch date... what came up?" she asked, although she knew full well that it was Cho Chang that "came up".

He stared at her for a moment and remained silent as he tried to find his words.

"Yeah, that's what I thought" Ginny mumbled, turning back towards the door.

"Gin, wait, I-"

"Bye Harry" She said, cutting him off quickly and slamming the door closed before he could try to explain.

A week had gone by since Ginny's outing with Draco and nothing ever came about after the meeting with Chamberlain, although, Ginny sure did hear an earful from her parents afterwards. They went on about how unfriendly and dangerous it was to be alone around the Malfoy family and some other rubbish she drowned out as her Mum went off on a rant.

After the meeting with Chamberlain, Ginny's parents sent out a dinner invite to the Malfoy family to join them at the Burrow and to all of their surprise it was accepted and tonight was the big event. Ginny already knew it was going to be dreadful, especially since most of her brothers would be joining them for dinner tonight and Harry as well.

She was in the middle of brushing her hair when she heard a knock at her bedroom door.

"Come in."

"Hey Ginny!" came Hermione's voice and a pair of arms that were thrown around Ginny's neck that pulled her into a tight hug.

"Hey Hermione" she giggled at how excited Hermione always was to see her. "How's the wedding planning coming?"

"Everything is coming along splendidly, can't believe I'll be getting married in less than two months." she squealed in excitement.

"Alright, settle down... it's just Ron after all" she teased. "Speak of the devil," she said as her brother walked into her bedroom and gave her a bone crushing hug.

"Owe, do you have to squeeze me so tight?" she muffled out against his chest.

"No, but I know how much it annoys you so, yes... I have to." he joked finally releasing her from his grasp.

"Ginny are you ready? The Malfoys will be here any moment... get downstairs all of you," said Mrs. Weasley from the doorway.

Ginny watched her brother shake his head as he obviously disagreed with the entire idea of making nice with the Malfoy family, especially Draco Malfoy.

"Speaking of that bloody git, what the hell are you doing hanging around him? Especially alone?" Ron asked angrily, but still with a concerned look on his face.

"Well, I see word spreads fast" Ginny said, rolling her eyes and then looked at herself in the mirror.

"Ron is just looking out for you Ginny" Hermione gently said.

"I know, but honestly its nothing to be concerned about, it was suppose to be a simple lunch to show face to help Dad out and it got blown out of proportion." she shrugged.

"Well, what did you expect would happen? A guy like Draco Malfoy just can't go strolling around Diagon Alley after everything that went down." Ron explained. "The whole wizarding world is either pissed off at the bloody lot of them or scared of the poor bastards."

Ginny turned to glare at her brother for a moment at how heartless he sounded.

"Honestly Ronald, can't you pretend to be civil for your Father's sake? Suck it up and let's get downstairs." Hermione chimed in after seeing the look on Ginny's face.

Ginny heard him start to mumble under his breath a slew of inappropriate words that she couldn't exactly make out, but she had an idea of who it was aimed at. She just smiled at how wound up her brother got around the Slytherin and he wasn't even here yet. She watched Hermione place a hand on his back as she led him downstairs and tried to calm him down and went on about how it was more for his Father than anything. She thought it was quite sweet the way Hermione was always able to keep Ron's temper at bay and she could see how happy the two of them were together.

Finally snapping out of her thoughts, she followed the rest of them downstairs to the living room where she saw Harry coming over to greet her.

"Hey Gin" he said with a slight smile.

She thought about the words they exchanged a week ago and decided to just forget about the whole thing. She just flashed him a quick smile and said a quick hello back.

"Harry?" came a low voice from across the room, "I saved a seat at the table for you."

Ginny's smile tightened and became more of a blank expression as she saw Cho Chang standing in the kitchen doorway. Her eyes darted to Harry's for a moment and then back to Cho's.

"Oh hey Ginny." Cho said cheerfully.

"H-hey... Cho" she finally managed to force out. "I didn't realize you were joining us this evening." she said through clenched teeth, glaring at Harry.

"Hope that's ok, Harry invited me."

"Oh, he did? That's great," she said sarcastically, trying to keep it sounding as welcoming as possible, although, if she clenched her teeth anymore, she thought they might break.

"I'll be right there Cho" Harry said, waving for her to go on without him. He turned back to Ginny and saw how angry she was. "Gin, I know you're not fond of Cho, but we've been-"

"You don't need to explain Harry, its fine" she said, putting her hand up to stop him from continuing. "I just don't understand what possessed you to bring her here tonight." she spat before making her way towards the kitchen.

"I checked with your parents and they didn't mind-"

"WHAT ABOUT WITH ME?" she shouted suddenly, turning around so fast that her bright orange hair whipped him in the face. She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the side hall and lowered her voice. "I'm sorry, but I think given the circumstances, you maybe, JUST maybe would have asked or warned me before you brought her here. I get it, I know you guys have grown closer, but that still doesn't change the past Harry."

Harry sighed, "Your right Gin, I wasn't thinking... do you want me to ask her to leave? I can make up something"

"NO! It's just... If my parents knew what really happened between us... I can guarantee you Cho wouldn't be sitting at that table... and maybe even you." she said fiercely, poking him hard in the chest.

"You know that's not how things went down between us." he said, suddenly getting defensive.

She saw his eyes leave hers for a moment and travel to over her shoulder where Draco was standing. Harry looked at Ginny one last time; a bit of anger and sadness on his face before he walked over to the Slytherin.

"Draco" he said, acknowledging the blond before him.

"Potter" Draco responded stiffly.

They both exchanged a look as if this wasn't their first time seeing each other in years, almost as if there were unspoken words between them that neither wanted to exchange... at the moment anyway.

Ginny watched them both for a moment before Harry went into the kitchen and then looked oddly at the way Draco was standing there. He had an expression she really couldn't make out; it was somewhat of a sneer, but also a bit of amusement. She wasn't sure if he heard their whole conversation, but she really didn't care either.

"What was that about?" she asked, steering the conversation from going towards anything he may have heard her and Harry discussing.

"Nothing," he said, shrugging it off.

Ginny just rolled her eyes, "Anyway, how's it going in there?"

"Well, let's just say I was rather happy when your Mum offered me to come find you for supper." he drawled.

"Well, at least one of my brothers hasn't tried to kill you yet." She joked, walking through the kitchen door with him behind her.

Dinner went by a lot better than expected; it was definitely awkward having them all so close together around the table. Narcissa made her sarcastic remarks here and there about the state of the Burrow and such, but Mrs. Weasley didn't let it get to her this time. Ron did nothing but glare at Draco from across the table which didn't seem to bother the Slytherin one bit, in fact, he seemed rather smug that he still had such an effect on the Weaslebee. Thankfully, George did most of the talking about the joke shop and all these new products they had. Ginny was a bit surprised to see her Father and Lucius exchange a few words and even at one point get into the slightest of conversations.

She was sure the only reason Lucius and Narcissa even accepted the invite to the Burrow was because of the whole Diagon Alley outing. Chamberlain ended up going to Malfoy Manor and questioned Draco and his parents about him being at the pub with her, which she was sure his parents were furious about and probably blamed her for it... which they should since it was her idea. Despite whom they pointed a finger at, they saw it as more of a reason to try and make things work so that Lucius could still be considered for a position at the Ministry.

"So Dad, how are things at the Ministry?" Percy casually asked.

"To be quite honest things are rather hectic at the moment, a lot of open cases and next to no leads on any of them." Arthur sighed.

"Yeah, we're still trying to track down this Flixsly guy, but we haven't had any luck." Harry chimed in.

Ginny noticed Draco's eyes dart up to his parents at the mention of Flixsly's name and then Narcissa and Lucius also exchanged a look. The look Narcissa gave her husband was one of uncertainty and then she watched Lucius give her a slight nod.

"Peter Flixsly?" Lucius asked suddenly.

The room became completely quiet at Lucius' question and Harry and Arthur looked at each other and then back to Lucius.

"Yes, Peter Flixsly; his last known whereabouts was just a bit south from here, but when we went to check it out there was no such house, building or even trace that he ever was there." Arthur explained.

"He was originally being sought out for a string of robberies and as a suspect in a...particular case, however, with him being a squib it's hard to-"

"He's not," Lucius quickly said, cutting Harry off.

Again, Harry and Arthur exchanged a look, "What do you mean he's not?" Harry asked.

Lucius kept his head down as he was heavy in thought for a moment before he looked back up and glared towards Harry and reluctantly began to speak. "Flixsly is most definitely not a Squib; however, he certainly has everyone fooled that he is."Lucius paused for a moment and turned towards his wife, who gave another small nod for him to continue. "He developed his magical abilities later in life, but kept it a secret, which proved useful to..." Lucius trailed off before he could speak Voldemort's name. "He is also an unregistered Animagus... a mole as I recall which could be why you're having such difficulty locating him.'

"How do you know this?" Arthur gently asked; the whole room was silent as they anxiously waited for the response.

Narcissa noticed how much trouble it was for her husband to give out so much information that they feared could later cause problems for them, decided to jump in. "He was a servant of the Dark Lord...I mean Voldemort" she said quickly.

"Why would Voldemort want a Squib working for him?" Ron jumped in.

"Are you even listening you daft git, he wasn't a Squib after all."Draco spat.

"Screw you Malfoy, forgive me for not being caught up on the Death Eater newsletter" Ron shot back.

At this point they both jumped up from their seats with their hands already reaching for their wands.

"RONALD!" Molly yelled out. "YOU SIT YOUR BLOODY ARSE DOWN, BEFORE I SIT IT DOWN FOR YOU!"

Ron just sneered at Draco before shooting an apologetic look over to his Mother.

Draco caught his parents angrily looking at him for acting so carelessly. He saw his mother's gaze pierce into his with such anger. "Sit...down...now...Draco." she said firmly through clenched teeth.

Draco turned his attention towards Ron again and just felt nothing but anger; he wasn't even sure if it was at him or just anger in general. He was pulled from his angry thoughts when he felt a light tug on his pants from under the table and he slowly began to sit back down followed by Ron.

Draco watched the conversation start to slowly start up again between his Father, Harry and Arthur before he turned towards Ginny and then down towards her hand on his pant leg. He stared at it for a quick moment and then looked back up at her where she met his gaze with a slight smile. She just shook her head and playfully rolled her eyes at the whole scene that unfolded before turning her attention back to the conversation.

By the time dinner was over a lot of tension had filled the room and everyone seemed to be biting their tongues. Ginny could see that Lucius and Narcissa were mortified that they even had to step foot in the Burrow and were ready to go.

"Well, this was... "

"Difficult to get through" Molly bluntly stated, finishing Narcissa's sentence for her.

Narcissa looked at her for a moment and forced a smile on her face. "Exactly... perhaps we will stick to dinners at the Manor since space here is quite..." she stopped and looked around the tiny room and gave a smirk "limited" she finished, flashing Molly an exaggerated smile.

"If you insist and we can leave the cooking to me since your culinary skills seem to be... limited" Molly shot back in a very sweet but sarcastic tone.

They both glared at each other for a long moment before Lucius cleared his voice. "Best we get going now." he said, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Oh hey Draco, can we have a word with you for a moment before you go." George called out, waving him over to where he and Percy was sitting.

Draco raised an eyebrow and started to walk over when his Mother went to put her hand out to stop him, but Lucius lightly squeezed her shoulder to let it be.

"We will see you back at the Manor Draco...don't be long." he said firmly, giving his son a stern look.

After Lucius and Narcissa left, Ginny helped her Mother clear the dishes and clean up the kitchen. She saw Harry and Cho on the back porch through the window and watched them laughing and talking. She felt guilty for the way their conversation went earlier and was angry at herself that she let any kind of emotions come out like that. She was so used to burying things deep down... it was easier that way, well, for her it was. She saw Cho say a final goodbye to Harry with a kiss and then she excused herself from dish duty to go join Harry on the porch.

"Hey, " she softly said to him, turning her gaze up to the night sky to take in the stars. "It's so nice out tonight."

Harry looked up as well to take in the twinkling scenery and gave a small smile, "Yeah, it sure is"

She looked at him for a moment and then took a step closer, fidgeting with her hands and looking at the creaky old wooden porch under her feet. "Listen Harry, I'm sorry how I came off ear-"

"You don't have to apologize Gin."

"Yes I do... I know why things turned out the way they did...well, I think I do anyway and I guess it was really my fault..." she trailed off.

"Stop that, it was definitely not your fault and you have nothing to be sorry about." he said, gently grabbing her shoulders.

She looked up at him and then quickly away again, "I guess what I'm trying to say is... if Cho makes you happy... then... then I'm happy for you." she finally said.

She went to turn to make her way quickly back inside when she felt him give her a light tug on the arm to turn her back around. "Come here, " he said, pulling her into a tight hug.

Ginny hated showing anything but happy emotions around anyone, she didn't want to deal with any kind of raw emotions that made her feel obligated to sort through, so she pushed them aside like she'd been doing for the past five years.

"Alright, well, enough of this mushy rubbish, I think I'm going to turn in, " she said, playfully pushing him away from her.

He gave her another smile before walking down the porch steps and into the field. "Goodnight Gin" he said before a light pop rang out.

She let out a long, relieved sigh and plopped down on the steps and laid her head on her knees. She heard the back door open and someone walk over to her and stop for a moment before they took a seat beside her. She ran her hands through her hair and pushed it back before turning to see who had joined her.

"You're still here?" she asked in surprise.

"Yeah, well, apparently your brothers think it might be a good idea for me to help them out in that disgraceful shop of theirs." Draco scoffed. "Said it would be good to show we can play nice or some rubbish."

Ginny gave a light laugh, "That was unexpected...what did you say?"

"Pft, no of course."

Ginny just gave him an amused look and shook her head. "Next time I help them with stocking I'm dragging you along... you know it would be good to show face, word will get around and all that good stuff and then Kingsley-"

"That's just it, I don't want word getting around Weaslette." he snapped.

"Well, just think about it, it would be early in the morning and the shop is closed during that time so it would just be us."

"So what part exactly about me being surrounded by a bunch of freckled faced redheads doing slave work at the crack of dawn is suppose to sound appealing to me?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, "It will get you out of that dungeon of a bedroom" she mumbled.

Draco glared at her for a moment. "I'll think about it... but why the bloody hell do I keep getting stuck with you."

"You're the one who came out here and joined me... maybe I'm growing on you?" she suggested with a wide smile stretching across her face.

"Ha, yeah right, I despise you lot... after all this playing nice nonsense is over I'll keep my distance... that's a promise. Just having to make conversation with you makes me ill." he said with disgust.

"Ouch, how you've hurt me Draco Malfoy" she said sarcastically, placing a hand over her heart.

They both sat there in silence for a few more moments, nothing but the sound of the light breeze that hit against them and the crickets. Ginny suddenly started to lightly giggle and received a questioning look from Draco beside her.

"What's so funny?" he snapped.

"You... you're just so..." she continued to let her giggles turn into a laughing fit.

"So what?" he asked, becoming angry.

"Dramatic" she finally said, letting her laughs die down and taking a breath to calm herself down.

"And you're too... too... "

Ginny looked at him highly amused by his stuttering words waiting for his response. "Well?"

"CARELESS" he finally yelled out. She just shrugged at his word choice obviously not caring how he viewed her to be. "That's it? No comeback?"

"Does it really matter?" she asked, her expression still calm, cool and collected.

Draco just seemed to get more annoyed at her lack of reaction and just sat there instead. They both continued to sit there quietly and Ginny would have asked him why he was still sticking around, but she knew it was because he wasn't in a rush to get back to the Manor. She could tell he was enjoying the fresh air as much as she was, no matter how much he denied it.

"So... what really did happen between you and Potter?" he suddenly asked her.

"He cheated on me with Cho Chang" she said, quickly answering him.

He looked at her. "What? I thought Potter was too nice to do that kind of crap" He said, sounding rather surprised at Harry's actions.

"He is" Ginny said, turning to look at him with a small smile. "It was my fault... I practically pushed him into her arms." she shrugged.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. "What does that mean exactly?"

"After the battle was over things were more complicated than anything between us... I mean Harry was really good to me and he was everything I could ever ask for, but... he needed more from me than I could give... he needed a lot of emotional support and I couldn't give it to him...I was so cold towards him... the things I said...I-I... I pushed him away... I pushed everyone away, so much so that I decided to leave home and that's when I started playing Professional Quidditch. It was during one of our off seasons when I guess I became really ill...I still don't really even know what happened."

"You guess you became ill?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know really how it all came about, I think it was like a bad case of the flu or something; I barely remember anything. The only thing I do remember was that I was out with some friends from the team and then the next thing I knew I woke up in St. Mungos like two weeks later." Ginny explained while shaking her head as if she herself was still trying to make sense of it. "Anyway, I wasn't able to continue Quidditch that season and just gave it up altogether. During that time I learned it was easier to keep my distance from everyone than to sort through all those stupid depressing feelings about everything that went on." she paused for a moment.

Draco didn't take his eyes off of her the whole time she spoke. There wasn't any emotion in her words as she told him what happened, as if she was bored of hearing herself talk.

"Eventually Harry met up with Cho as friends and then I guess things happened between them... I didn't even care honestly... my parents don't even know about it, they still think we just decided to be friends because we wanted different things. We even pretended to be a couple for a few months just to please everyone, but eventually it became too much. Harry wanted to deal with his feelings and I didn't, so... that's it really. Now I just keep myself busy helping around the joke shop until I figure out what I really want to do." she said, getting up from the steps and turning to look at him.

"So when did you finally decide to deal with them... your feelings?" he asked her.

She just smiled at him, "I haven't... I don't want to... I mean why would I? It's in the past, so who cares." she shrugged; turning away and slowly started walking towards the lake.

Draco just sat there for a minute thinking about her words. Was it easier to just pretend that those things never happened? She did seem a lot happier, maybe things would be different for him if he let a lot of stuff go, but that seemed impossible. He jumped up from his seat and caught up with her as she neared the lake.

"Can I ask you something Weasley?"

"Hmm?"

"Aren't you afraid about losing yourself... losing who you use to be by burying all that?"

She looked at him with a teasing smile at his serious question and then shrugged it off. "No... I think I'm exactly who I'm supposed to be right now."

He just stared at her... he wanted to tell her she was wrong, but he wasn't sure if he was even right.

"I better get going," he said suddenly.

"Yeah, you better before your parents come back," she teased.

He smirked at her. "See ya Weaslette" he said before apparating back to Malfoy Manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if some info is vague, but things will make sense later on. Thoughts so far?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, here is the next one! There will be some more action in this one, hopefully it is conveyed how I hoped it to be. I never really thought of myself as a very good action writer, lol but here it is.

BOOM BOOM

The sound pierced the small, silent room and rang sharply through her ears causing her to cover her face with another pillow to drown out the noise. Ginny pulled the blankets up closer around her and started drifting back off to sleep when the sound rattled through her head again causing her to let out a growl of frustration. Her head was pounding so much that she swore it was about to explode when she felt the light from the hallway hit her face.

"Mum, it's like five in the morning... get out," she mumbled from under the covers and pillows.

She heard the bedroom door close again and was relieved to feel the radiating hall light leave her room and she started to drift off again into some much needed sleep due to a very long night she had.

"So let me get this straight..."

Ginny's eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice filling her bedroom.

"...after days and days of you trying to convince me to tag along with you to your brothers shop, here you are snug as a bug in bed while I'm dressed and ready to go? I could be at home sleeping."

Ginny sat up so fast in her bed and regretted it immediately when a wave of pain pierced through her head. "What the hell are you doing in my room Draco?" she demanded, wincing in pain at the throbbing sensation running through her brain.

Draco reached over and turned on a nearby lamp causing Ginny to moan and cover her face with her pillow.

"SHUT THAT BLOODY THING OFF!" her muffled voice shouted.

"Geez, Weasley this room is tiny... I think my bathroom is bigger than this." he scowled, taking a seat in a nearby chair and glanced over the small cluttered bedroom.

Ginny ripped the blankets off of herself and stormed over to the lamp and went to turn it off when Draco quickly got up and blocked her from it.

"Move out of the way, Malfoy" she said angrily.

"Oh, back to last names now I see." he teased her, taking in how riled up she had gotten and how her vibrant hair was wildly sticking out all around her pale face.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "When exactly did you start calling me Ginny?" she asked, folding her arms.

Draco just smirked at her comment and then he suddenly took in her apparel and his smirk turned to a snarl. "Damn, Weasley put some clothes on." he demanded, turning away from her and sitting back down.

Ginny was standing there in only a tank top and underwear and after seeing how uncomfortable it made Draco it was her turn to smirk. "Maybe I don't want to put any clothes on, it's my room after all and you're the one who just barged in here." she said, placing her hands on her hips.

Draco turned back to look at her and just noticed her standing there; how she was so confident and unfazed by the fact that Draco was seeing her in her underwear. He couldn't help but take in how fit she was, mostly from playing Quidditch he assumed and he definitely couldn't stop his eyes from glancing up at her chest and how very braless it was. He quickly cleared his throat and looked anywhere else but at her.

"For God's sake, get dressed Weasley, nobody wants to look at that." he snarled.

Ginny flashed him an amused grin before walking over to the chair he was in and placed both her hands on his knees and leaned forward. "Maybe next time I'll get to see you in your underwear" she whispered in his ear.

Draco felt the hair on the back on his neck stand up and his body was instantly covered in goose bumps as her breath hit his ear. The feeling of her hands on his legs made his body go stiff and he let his eyes rise up to meet hers. He felt himself suddenly grow angry towards her for the indecent gesture and he stared at her for just a moment before standing up suddenly; making her take a step back.

"I'll wait for you downstairs." he said in an angered mumble before storming out of her bedroom leaving a very amused Ginny behind.

Draco made his way outside to the front of the house and let out this huge breath of air that he didn't realize he had been holding in. He wasn't sure if he was angry at the awkward position he had just found himself in or if it was because Ginny didn't care that he attempted to humiliate her in front of him when he made it a point to make sure her lack of clothing didn't go unnoticed. His thoughts must have been lingering a lot longer on the scene that had taken place in Ginny's bedroom because when he turned around to finally stop pacing, he saw Ginny coming out of the house dressed and ready to go. He suddenly became very annoyed when he saw she had a huge smile on her face and was trying to stifle a few giggles.

"Oh, chill out Draco... you should have seen your face though...priceless." she laughed, pushing him lightly as she walked past him.

"Chill out? I guess your use to guys seeing you in your underwear, then?" he said with a smirk.

"Oh yes, every night a new guy... why do you think I have a splitting headache... it's obviously because guy one hundred and ten was screwing my brains out last night" she said.

Draco stopped suddenly and just looked at her as she stopped and took out her wand. "Really?" he asked.

Ginny looked at him and saw he was actually serious in his question. "WHAT? NO! Of course not." she laughed.

Draco shook his head at her choice of humor and then walked towards her where she stretched out her hand for his. He looked at it for a moment before reluctantly taking it and apparating to Hogsmeade. When Draco's feet hit the cobblestone street, he saw they were in a side alley a little bit away from the joke shop and quickly tightened his grip on his wand.

"Relax Draco, it's barely six in the morning, none of the shops are open yet and there's hardly anyone on the streets." Ginny said before walking ahead of him to the shop.

After deciding that the area looked secure, he pocketed his wand and quickly ran to catch up with her.

"So what's wrong with your head any way?" he asked, trying to get his mind off of the worst case scenarios that were playing out in his head from him being outside of the Manor after all these years.

"Ugh, I drank way too much last night... I had only gotten in at like three in the morning and was enjoying such a peaceful night's sleep until your bloody fists starting pounding on my door." she snapped, shooting him a quick glare.

"A hangover huh? Didn't think that was your kind of thing, Weaslette."

"My thing? You mean that I went to a party? Oh yeah, big shocker there"

"No, I meant the drinking, Weasley," he snapped at her. Draco wasn't sure why she was annoying him so much, perhaps it was her sarcastic comments or that no matter how much he tried to offend her she didn't seem to care. "What kind of party was it?" he finally asked after a few moments of them walking in silence.

Ginny glanced at him for a moment, "Uh, it's just a hangout spot I go to every now and again... I'd tell you where, but..." she opened the shop door and then turned to look at him. "Then I'd have to kill you," she said with a giant smirk before heading inside.

He pulled the door open after her "AND I'M THE ONE WHO'S DRAMATIC?" he shouted out before shaking his head at just how much she was getting under his skin today.

Draco walked into the shop and was immediately brought back to his Hogwarts days when he saw the different products the Weasley's had on the shelves, some of which they tested out in the halls of the school. He couldn't help the tiniest of smiles that pulled at his lips as he made his way around the store. He overheard George's voice come from down the aisle as he watched Ginny approach her brothers; giving Percy a tight hug and kind of brushing off George's attempt to pull her into one as well. He thought it was a bit odd to see any of the Weasley's deny affection from one another, but didn't have a chance to dwell on that as George came over and gave him a hard slap on the back.

"Glad you could make it Draco, we could really use the help this morning." he said, gesturing to the stacked boxes of merchandise he had sitting in the middle of the store awaiting a proper space on the shelves.

"Oh goody," Draco drawled as he glared at Ginny for convincing him to come along.

A half hour had gone by and Draco found himself leaning against one of the nearby shelves deep in thought. He would occasionally cut open a box of supplies and slide it over for Ginny to stock on the shelves. There were barely any people out on the streets still, with the exception of a few shop owners or early shoppers passing by. Every time a person passed the front window Draco would snap his head up to watch them walk by until they were clear out of sight.

"You think you can do something other than stand there and stare off into space?" Ginny snapped, waiting for him to slide her the next box.

He turned to look at her for a moment before he slid the next box over and then just watched her for a moment. She seemed to be deep in thought herself about something and by how she was working at a vigorous pace it must not have been about anything pleasant. She certainly had an image in her head of how she wanted everything laid out before she even got the product out of the box which made Draco assume she had been helping her brothers out at the shop for a while now.

"You see something you like?" Ginny teased him; catching him staring at her.

Draco gave her a disgusted sneer and then turned his attention to the front window once more. "I was just thinking how perfect this scene suits you. On your knees down on the floor just-OOF" He was cut off by something hitting him hard in the chest, "WHAT THE HELL WEASLEY?" he shouted, picking up a box she threw at him containing mini dungbombs.

"Well, watch the way you talk to a lady" she laughed.

"A lady? Pft... and what if these would have gone off?" he ranted, scowling at her as he gently placed them down on a nearby shelf.

"There you go again...being all dramatic" she said, rolling her eyes and going back to work.

Before Draco could respond with an insult, George came walking over. "How's it coming along over here guys?"

Ginny just shook her head in annoyance and shrugged, "Fine," she said in a low voice.

George nodded and then watched his sister for a moment before deciding on his next question. "Listen Gin, Percy and I were thinking you could come have dinner tonight with-"

"Can I please just finish with this?" she snapped, cutting him off before giving him a quick annoyed glance.

"Oh yeah...yeah of course... I'll leave you guys to it then." He said with a forced smile before quickly walking away.

Draco felt bad for the bloke, it was apparent that Ginny had hurt his feelings and it was quite awkward to watch, especially since George was the total opposite of what he had just witnessed.

"What the hell was that about?" Draco asked after George was far enough away.

"What was what about?" Ginny asked, becoming more annoyed.

"Uh, with your brother... why were you-"

"WHY WAS I WHAT?" she suddenly shouted; standing up and throwing an empty box aside.

He raised an eyebrow at her reaction and just decided to shrug it off before grabbing the next box and cutting it open.

"Explain to me again why we can't use magic to open these damn boxes." he said as he struggled to make a clean cut down the center of the box.

Ginny rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance as she grabbed the box and the blade from Draco and quickly swiped the blade down the box. "See? Not that hard." she said before tossing the blade on top of the next box ready to be opened and continued stocking.

Draco just stared at her; she was obviously bothered by something...probably her brother he assumed... or maybe with him? He doubted it though, otherwise why would she go out of her way to keep showing up at his house or to get him to join her during this degrading task. Maybe she really was just trying to help her father out and would do anything to better his chances of getting the position. Well of course she was, why would he think she had a different motive other than that?

"You're bleeding"

Draco was pulled from his thoughts. "What?"

"Your hand... it's bleeding" Ginny said in a soft voice, walking over to him and pulling out her wand. "I think that's enough box cutting for one day." she teased him, grabbing his hand and waving her wand over his cut and giving it a quick kiss. "There... all better." she said with a playful smile.

Once again, he found himself just staring at her... why was it bothering him that she was so comfortable around him. Nothing seemed to get to her and when it did, it wasn't for very long, it was pushed aside and she was once again in the brightest of spirits it seemed.

His eyes quickly darted up to the front window behind her where a silhouette of a person stood. His eyes grew wide when he made out the face and his hand quickly reached for his wand.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked when she saw his facial expression change to one of pure hatred and anger.

Her eyes followed his to the window behind her and before she could ask who that was she found herself face down in a pile of broken glass and debris. Everything seemed to be in slow motion and the only thing she could hear was a loud ringing in her ears as she looked side to side to see what happened. The front window was completely shattered and almost the whole front of the store was completely blasted apart. She saw Draco waste no time jumping to his feet and running towards the culprit even though she knew he must be just as disoriented as she was. She could hear George and Percy yelling after her as she too pulled herself up from the floor and ran after Draco.

As soon as she made it to the street the ringing in her ears turned to the sound of a curse zooming past her, causing her hair to whip wildly around her face. She saw Draco up ahead running as fast as he could after this man who he apparently had some unfinished business with. She took off after him while she dodged the spells being thrown around ahead of her as she tried to keep up with them both. She finally saw Draco come to a stop as he lost the man he had been so desperately trying to catch, making her almost slam right into him.

"Draco, what the hell is going on? Who was that?" she quickly asked, as she too swiftly glanced all around to see if she could spot the man.

"I think he went this way" Draco said through heavy breaths as he took off running again.

"DRACO WAIT!" Ginny yelled after him as she too began running again.

He came to another stop as he looked everywhere for the person while completely ignoring Ginny's constant questioning. She grabbed his arm to try and snap him out of his current state of mind, but there was no use; he just kept walking even as she stood in front of him and pushed past her like she wasn't even there. She watched his eyes dart wildly around the dimly lit streets and alleyways for any sign of the man. Ginny was just about to speak again when a spell flew at them that Draco quickly blocked and then Ginny saw someone down the street ahead of them. They were just standing there, waiting for Draco to run after them; he wanted Draco to follow him and by the way Ginny saw how eager Draco was to catch him, she knew he would.

Draco went to take off again towards him when Ginny held up her hands to try and stop him. "Draco, no, they want you to follow them, whatever this is about they are luring you into a trap, don't you see that?" she pleaded with him.

"Stay out of my way Weasley" he said through clenched teeth; his eyes on the figure down the alley the whole time.

Before Ginny could say anything more, there were spells flying everywhere; forcing her to take cover behind a nearby wall. She had her wand gripped tightly and her heart was racing as a familiar wave of adrenaline filled her and then a slight smirk tugged at her lips. There were so many spells flying at them that she hardly doubted they came from just one person. She knew there must've been others with this mysterious person that Draco seemed to have a personal vendetta with.

Ginny went to go peek around the side of the building she was against, when a green spell flew past her face. Having that killing curse breeze past her brought back so many memories of one of the worst days she had ever lived through. She was suddenly filled with rage and desperation to hurt these people attacking her and she gripped her wand even tighter and threw out one of the most powerful Bombarda spells she could possibly muster up.

The force behind that blasting spell was stronger than she thought as debris of buildings, street and anything else in its way exploded past her and Draco; making them take further cover. She quickly ran over to where Draco was and crouched down beside him as they waited for the effects of the spell to clear out. She shot a quick glance at Draco, who quickly looked at her before he turned his attention back to where the man once stood. Just as she was about to talk Draco into going back he was already sprinting down the street in search of the man.

"Dammit Draco" she mumbled as she ran after him again.

She was running after him for a few moments before she realized he was running blindly after this mystery man. She quickly stopped and looked down a side alley that she knew was the only other way to head out of Hogsmeade and decided to take a chance in hopes of tracking down this person that Draco so desperately wanted to get his hands on. Her heart was racing as she barreled down the side road and sure enough she saw the same figure zoom past her ahead. She suddenly changed her course and hopped a small wall that led to another part of the street up ahead and quickly ran to try and cut him off. She ran as fast as she could towards the main road ahead, hoping she timed her little detour just right and just as the thought entered her mind she slammed right into him.

They both fell to the ground and Ginny quickly scrambled to get up and grab her wand that had fallen out of her hand when she felt her body slam against the stone building behind her. She felt the man's hand pushed against her chest; pinning her to the wall and his wand pointed closely to her face. Her eyes locked with his for a moment and he had a look of surprise on his face.

"You?" He whispered through his heavy breaths.

Ginny studied the man in front of her and he was hardly a man at all; he was definitely younger than she was and looked to be barely out of his teenage years. She narrowed her eyes at him in confusion; did she know him? He didn't look familiar... so why did it seem like he knew her?

His facial expression quickly turned to one of equal confusion and he suddenly pinned her tighter and gripped his wand firmly. Before he could mutter a spell out, Draco ran right into him and tackled him to the ground and started beating on him. Ginny just stood there for a moment in bewilderment as the last few moments replayed in her head and then she turned her attention to the two men fighting. She wasn't even certain if she should stop Draco... did this person deserve the fate Draco was about to bring down on him or did Draco just completely go mental on her and was about to earn a one way ticket to St. Mungo's...or worse, Azkaban.

Before Ginny could stop Draco from throwing the next punch a binding spell hit him from the back making him fall to the ground. Ginny watched him struggle to try and break free and quickly went to grab her wand off the ground. She had just picked it up and before she could even turn around, she felt a wand against her cheek.

"Drop it," she heard a man's voice behind her say.

She turned to face the person who had her at wand point and saw there was indeed more than one person who had been throwing those spells. She must have counted about five different men standing around them until her eyes fell on the man in front of her; again the same surprised look flashed across his face as it did the young man earlier that Draco tackled. She took that chance to quickly bring her wand up and throw a spell at the man sending him backwards to the ground. She threw a quick spell towards Draco that freed him of the binding charm and he quickly jumped to his feet and ran towards her.

She shot a spell right over Draco's shoulder that shielded him from a curse flying right at his back and then turned on her heel prompting him to follow her. She ran down a side alley and then into one of the many abandoned shops of Hogsmeade with Draco right behind her.

"Why the bloody hell did you bring us here, you practically gift wrapped us for them." he shot angrily at her.

"Oh, now you're actually wanting to get away from them?" she sarcastically said to him with a smirk as she ran up the staircase.

He quickly followed her and then saw her open one of the upstairs windows and crawl through it onto a ledge. He stuck his head out the window to watch her shimmy herself against the building and over to another taller building and pull herself up onto a higher ledge.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" he called out to her.

"Shut up and follow me," she said sternly before climbing higher onto the connected building's roof.

He muttered a few foul things under his breath before climbing out of the window and started following her. He turned around to look at the window he had just crawled from and contemplated something for a moment. He suddenly went to take a step back towards the window when Ginny's voice rang out and stopped him.

"What are you doing? Let's go"

"I can't just run away from this, I-"

"You're kidding me, right?" She said, quickly climbing back down to where he was. "Are you mental? We are outnumbered and I'm not exactly sure what unfinished business you have with these people, but it's going to have to stay unfinished right now so LETS GO." she said the last part firmly.

"But-" Draco didn't get to fight her on it as a spell hit the window they had just crawled from and glass flew everywhere.

Ginny didn't bother arguing with him; instead, she just grabbed his arm firmly and pulled him to follow her back up on the roof. She started leading the way in and out of buildings that connected and lined the streets of Hogsmeade to try and keep them off their trail until they had a clear chance to apparate somewhere. She thought about the adrenaline rush she was getting from this whole situation and didn't want it to end yet. She thought about how messed up that sounded in her head as she continued to hug the wall of a building with Draco close behind her.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she lost her balance as a spell flew past her and hit the wall she was leaning against causing bricks and other debris to explode beside her. She slipped off the ledge and grabbed it with her hand as she dangled from the crumbling building. She saw Draco making an attempt to help her up, but part of the ledge was blasted apart and he couldn't reach her.

Ginny quickly noticed there was a window where her feet were hanging and quickly swung them forward to bust in the glass and then threw herself in through the opening. She felt a spell graze her hand as she leapt into the window and felt a burning sensation run up the side of her hand. She quickly ignored it and heard someone on the floor above her and figured it was Draco, who made his way inside the building to meet her.

She ran towards the stairwell and was suddenly slammed face first into the wall by someone who she knew not to be Draco. She gripped her wand tightly and tried to throw a curse at the man holding her, but he was trying to get her to drop her wand before she could. She threw herself backwards onto the man and they both fell over the railing; Ginny's side collided with the banister one level down and the man fell to the ground below. She heard a crack and winced in pain as she grabbed the railing to keep herself from falling from the floor landing.

"WEASLEY!" Draco called out as he ran down to her. He pulled her over the metal railing and saw she had been hurt. "Are you-?"

"I'm fine," she quickly said before heading back up the stairs. "We need to keep moving and get to a safe spot where we could apparate. The last thing you want are these people following you home and into your wards." she explained as he followed her up to the highest level.

They had soon reached the roof and took in their surroundings and it wasn't long before more spells came flying at them.

"Let's just take a chance and apparate from here...your obviously hurt Weasley."

"Oh, shut it, I've been through worse, "she said, ignoring his suggestion as she looked for a clear opening to make a run for it."We just need to make it to one of those side alleys on the street, there's tons of places to hide long enough to apparate out of here, but we need to move fast... it's just a matter of moments before Aurors show up." she explained, making a quick dash to the side of the building and down a ladder.

As soon as they both were back on the ground they were surrounded by a group of men. Ginny wasn't sure how these people managed to get ahead of them until she realized these were different men waiting there for them. Ginny had her wand gripped tightly and didn't care that they were outnumbered; she threw out as many spells as her mind could think of and it wasn't long before complete chaos followed.

Ginny wasn't really sure what happened next, only that she saw Draco get hit with some curse and now he was on his knees holding his face. She could barely make out who was who during the constant spells flying all around, however, she could tell that Aurors had finally arrived and that's where the focus had gone to. She took the opportunity to run to Draco's side and quickly looked him over to see what was wrong. He kept opening and closing his eyes tightly and then rubbing them; he winced in pain as his eyes started turning puffy and red.

"Are you ok?"

"What the hell did they hit me with?" he said through gritted teeth as he rubbed at his stinging eyes.

"I don't know, but we need to get out of here, Aurors just got here." she said, quickly grabbing him and running into a side alley.

"STOP!"

Ginny suddenly heard someone shout out to her and she found herself quickly disarmed as the sound of her wand hitting the ground echoed in the alleyway. Her stomach suddenly twisted into a knot as she knew all too well whose voice that belonged to.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE GINNY! ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW, WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU EVEN THINKING!"

She turned around to see him walking quickly up to her and looking her quickly over.

"Harry you don't even know what happ-"

"JUST STOP!" he yelled. He looked over his shoulder real quick to make sure the alley was still clear and then back at her and Draco and took in their condition. Draco was clearly hit with something that was affecting his vision as he kept trying to rub his eyes and kept cursing under his breath at the pain it seemed to be causing him. "Get him back to the Manor and stay the hell put until I get there." he said sternly and looked at Ginny with a mixture of disappointment and concern before handing back her wand.

Ginny locked eyes with him for a moment and then with a quick pop she was suddenly standing outside the wards of Malfoy Manor...again.

A/N: Ok, so what do you guys think? I know, I know, more questions and no answers, ...soon. Feedback is much appreciated!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so what do you guys think? I know, I know, more questions and no answers, ...soon. Feedback is much appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!! Quick note, I know you guys have a lot of questions and some of the answers you won't find out until the time Ginny herself does so please please please give the story a chance to grow. I know the last chapter took an unexpected turn, but hopefully the story will continue to piece itself together. I will give you all a fair warning there will be a more darker tone to the story at some point.

Ginny had Draco's wrist gripped firmly as she went to lead him through the wards of the Manor when he suddenly pulled his wrist away.

"NO!" He quickly shouted, as he growled again in pain and tried to rub his eyes.

"What do you mean no? You need an antidote or something for your eyes; you have no idea what kind of damage that curse can do to you, NOW COME ON!" she said firmly, grabbing his shirt sleeve roughly and tried pulling him through.

"STOP FOR A DAMN SECOND WEASLEY!" He yelled once more.

She turned to look at him, he had a pained look on his face and his eyes were red and swollen from the spell that hit him. She knew he couldn't see a damn thing since he kept tightly closing his eyes and desperately tried to readjust them to get some sort of sight back.

"My...UGH, BLOODY HELL THIS BURNS!" he growled once more in pain. "My parents can't know about this. They will-"

"Pfft, yeah ok, Harry is going to be here anytime now and you'll have no choice but to let them know, besides, I don't even know a countercurse or anything for this spell, we need your Mum's help" she argued; attempting to drag him once more.

"WEASLEY IM SERIOUS!" he yelled a bit louder than he intended as another wave of burning and stinging filled his eyes.

Ginny just stared at him for a moment with an angry look on her face; again she knew he couldn't see her, but she knew there was no way around this. She quickly grabbed his arm and with as much force as she could muster up, she pulled him so roughly through the ward with her that he almost fell to the ground. She knew as soon as someone entered the wards the Malfoys would be alerted and be before her in a matter of moments. She knew Draco was livid, but he didn't say anything to her once she pulled him through, she was sure the pain in his eyes was overtaking any anger he had towards her right now.

Just as Ginny had opened the front doors, she was immediately met by Lucius and Narcissa's shocked expressions as she dragged him inside passed them.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL HAPPENED TO YOU DRACO?" Narcissa shouted, a worried look covering her face as she quickly grabbed his face and examined it.

"I'm fine Mother- I-UGH! CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE MAKE THIS FUCKIN STINGING GO AWAY!" he yelled as he brought his hands up to his eyes once more.

"STOP RUBBING THEM!" Narcissa and Ginny shouted out in unison.

Tilly came over with a wet rag and some water that Narcissa had gestured for her to grab as soon as she saw the state Draco was in.

"Draco what happened? Who did this to you?" Lucius demanded.

Draco didn't answer, he just squeezed his eyes tightly shut again as the pain continued. Narcissa quickly raised her wand and put a charm on his eyes that quickly made most of the pain and stinging subside.

"There is no countercurse, you just need to wait for the effects to wear off." Narcissa explained. "It will take about an hour before your vision comes back fully, but the charm I used will make it more bearable." she finished, as she went to grab the wet rag for his eyes but saw Ginny had already grabbed it.

Ginny grabbed Draco's face roughly and started rinsing his eyes for him. "Why the hell were you running after someone who attacked us?" She asked angrily.

"WHO ATTACKED YOU?" Lucius and Narcissa both yelled.

"It was nobody" Draco mumbled with a sneer before grabbing the rag from Ginny's hands and continued rinsing his eyes himself.

Before Narcissa and Lucius could question him further it was Ginny, who went off on him.

"NOBODY? THAT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE TO ME, YOU KNEW WHO THAT WAS, AND YOU RAN LIKE A BLOODY FOOL AFTER THEM, EVEN WHEN YOU KNEW WE WERE OUTNUMBERED!" she shouted, looking at him fiercely even though she knew he couldn't see her.

"They were there.......it was them." Draco said so quietly it was almost inaudible.

Ginny looked confused, but Lucius and Narcissa seemed to completely understand what Draco meant. Narcissa walked over to Draco and softly ran her hand through his hair and cupped his face lightly before turning to Ginny.

"Miss Weasley, I think it's best you don't come back here or include Draco in anymore of your "outings" because it has become apparent that you're nothing but trouble." she said with a sneer yet firm tone.

"What the hell does that mean?" Ginny said defensively, her anger rising.

"It means that this playing pretend to get along with one another will never work, so quit while your ahead and lets do ourselves the favor and leave things be." Lucius cut in.

Ginny just stood there shaking her head in annoyance with a slight sneer. "You two can go ahead and think whatever it is you want, but I'll have you know that if I hadn't ran after your precious little boy......he'd be dead right now.....so your welcome." she said before turning on her heel and walking away into a different room to wait until Harry arrived.

Narcissa and Lucius just exchanged a look and then glanced at their son. They understood why Draco ran after these people and knew it very well to be Draco, who initiated the chase; why they wanted to flip it onto the Weasley girl was just an excuse to not have to associate with them any further.

"I'm sorry" Draco suddenly whispered. His parents were beside him in a moment. "I know what you're going to say and I know everything that has happened to us because of these people, but I didn't care.......I just wanted them dead." he finished, hanging his head so his parents couldn't see the emotion in his face.

"Draco-"

"Stop.....just go check on Weasley or something," he cut his Mother off before bringing the wet rag back up to his eyes.

Narcissa looked at her husband and he gave a stiff nod before she started walking away.

____________________________________

Ginny was looking her injuries over in a nearby mirror in the small living room area she wandered into. She was surprised at how scratched and bruised up she was from the earlier events and then gave a small wince as she suddenly remembered the fall she took in that stairwell. She lifted her shirt enough to take a look at her ribs and saw they were badly bruised and she gave a small hiss as she realized just how much pain she was in.

"They look like they could be broken" came a voice from the doorway.

Ginny didn't bother turning around to look at the woman and just shrugged and put her shirt down. "I've had worse......you know from playing such a "barbaric" sport and all" Ginny mocked Narcissa as she took a seat on a nearby chair.

Narcissa cleared her throat to avoid any kind of comeback from escaping her mouth and walked over to Ginny and pulled out her wand. "Let me take a look," she said coldly.

"No thanks, I'm fine, I'll handle it myself." Ginny spat back, her anger rising at how purposely delirious Lucius and Narcissa acted about the situation.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, now let me have a look" she demanded.

"Me ridiculous? You-"

She was cut off when Narcissa swiftly flicked her wand and performed a quick charm on Ginny. She gave a quick, loud gasp as she felt a small pop in her side and then dropped her head in pain as the healing charm started to take effect. Ginny didn't say anything after that, instead she just sat there in silence as Narcissa took it upon herself to look at the rest of her injuries.

It was quiet for a while before Ginny decided to finally speak.

"Who were those people? Why was Draco so desperate to catch them that he would risk being killed?" she asked, looking up at the blonde before her.

Narcissa looked at her for a moment and then continued healing the burn on Ginny's hand. She was quiet for a while as she thought about what Ginny was asking. "It's not my place to tell you that." was all she said.

Ginny wanted to argue against that, but she knew she wouldn't get any further answers from her. Narcissa suddenly got up and started to walk out of the room when she stopped to look at the redhead for a moment.

"Miss Weasley...... if you truly did save my son's life then.......I'm very grateful for that." she said quickly and then left in a hurry.

Ginny just stared at the spot where she had been standing and thought about the way Narcissa attempted to thank her for saving Draco. She brought her hand up to where there was a large cut on her cheek and thought about how Narcissa said it wasn't her place to explain things to her. She just shook her head in annoyance and walked back towards the foyer where Draco last was. She saw he was having a very heated argument with his Father that she definitely wanted to stay clear of and decided to just wander into the dining room. She looked around the room with an amused smirk as she thought back to the obscene dinner her parents had here just a short time ago. Her head quickly snapped up when there was a loud, hard knock on the front door that she knew must have been Harry. Before she could get to the door to see if it was indeed him, she watched him push passed Lucius and look around for someone.

"GINNY!" he called out, hoping to get a glimpse of her.

"I'm right here Harry," she said, walking over to him.

She was taken aback when he tightly grabbed her to him and hugged her; his hands latching onto her as he let out a sigh of relief.

"Harry, I'm fine," she mumbled against his chest.

He pulled back and then gently grabbed her shoulders and looked her over with a worried look covering his face. "Are you sure your ok?" he asked again, gently cupping her face in his hands and looking at the cut on her cheek.

"Y-Yeah......I am," she said, surprised at how concerned and scared he looked that something might've happened to her. She stared into his eyes for a moment as he gave her a small smile.

His facial expression suddenly became angry and then he turned back to Lucius and Narcissa and looked straight passed them and right at Draco, whose vision was almost completely back to normal. He walked over to them followed by Ginny and stopped in front of Draco.

"I want to have a word with Draco." he said firmly.

"Very well, we can all talk in the-"

"Alone" Harry quickly said, cutting Lucius off.

Lucius' lip curled into a sneer at this comment. "Of course.......Mr. Potter."

"Harry, don't you want to talk to me too?" Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course, this will just take a moment." he said, grabbing Draco roughly by the arm and leading him to a nearby room for some privacy.

Draco was barely in the room when he felt himself being slammed against the wall hard.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING MALFOY? AND TO GET GINNY INVOLVED, I SWEAR I COULD KILL YOU!" He yelled loudly in his face, his wand pushed against Draco's throat.

Draco couldn't make out his complete facial expression, but from what he could tell, he was one pissed off Gryffindor. "Relax Potter, she's just a nosy twit that got mixed up into it. She's the one who followed me, I didn't force her."

"RELAX? DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF? YOU OF ALL PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THESE PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF AND YET YOU JUST DIDN'T CARE ABOUT PUTTING HER IN DANGER OR YOURSELF!"

"SHES NOT MY PROBLEM, IM NOT HER DAMN BABYSITTER POTTER!" he yelled back.

Harry punched Draco hard in the face, making him stumble to the floor and to Harry's surprise, he didn't swing back, instead he just sat there on the floor holding his jaw and shaking his head. He walked over to him and held his hand out for Draco to take, but he scoffed at it.

"Just get out of here Potter, as you've reminded me many times before.....there's nothing left to do when it comes to these people." He said, making Harry go stiff at his comment. "Isn't that right? Or is it more that you refuse to further look into-"

"FURTHER LOOK INTO WHAT? THE CASE IS CLOSED AND WILL REMAIN THAT WAY!"

Draco quickly stood up and walked over to the raven haired man standing in front of him.

"Closed? More like covered up."

"Stop trying to take matters into your own hands Malfoy...... everytime.......EVERYTIME anything with this case is looked into...... people die.......or worse" he said the last part looking away from the Slytherin.

"Then just get the fuck out of here, what else do you want? You want to arrest me? Go ahead, I don't give a shit." he said before ripping the door open and walking back out to the hall.

Ginny saw Draco walking back towards them and she quickly walked up to him. "What happened? Who were those people, why were-"

"DO ME A DAMN FAVOR WEASLEY AND FUCK OFF!" he suddenly turned around and yelled at her.

He turned back towards his parents and started walking up to his room.

Ginny's blood was boiling, she wanted to hex him into oblivion and was trying with everything in her not to. She went to attempt to run after him to give her a piece of her mind when it was Lucius, who grabbed her arm firmly to stop her. He didn't say anything, she just glared at him for a moment before he let her go and she saw Harry walk over to her.

"Let's go Gin," he said quickly and then turned to Lucius and Narcissa. "I think its best that-"

"I think we know full well what would be best for us at this time Mr. Potter." Narcissa said stiffly.

Harry gave them a stiff nod and then gestured for Ginny to follow him. They were barely outside of the Manor before Ginny started berating him with questions; she was just attacked and could have been killed and nobody was giving her any answers. Harry continued to ignore her questions until they apparated back to the Burrow where she finally had enough and roughly turned him around to face her.

"Before you think about walking into that house you better give me some damn answers Harry Potter." she demanded.

He stared at her for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh and then ran his hand through his messy hair. "I don't know too much Ginny, all I can tell you is that Draco has a history with these people."

"What kind of history?" she pressed on.

"Not a good history, I can tell you that much." he said, turning back around and getting ready to go inside.

"Wait, that's it? What happened? Why were they even there to begin with? How did they know Draco was there?" she asked, pressing on as she quickly caught up with him.

"GINNY, JUST STOP IT!" He suddenly turned and shouted at her, making her stop in her tracks. "Why do you need to know so much? Just know it's nothing you need to worry about or get involved in, ok?"

She just stared blankly at him and then roughly opened the front door and slammed it shut behind her before he could follow her inside.

_________________________________________________

It had been about a week since the incident in Hogsmeade happened and Ginny heard the same lecture from Harry and her parents that Draco heard from his and yet she still never got any answers. She hadn't seen or heard from Draco at all since and no dinner invitations were sent out to either family. It was almost like the last few weeks of trying to make nice with the Malfoys had never happened. She stopped asking questions after the second day and then had kept her mind busy by helping George and Percy fix up the shop. Her and George's relationship had been rocky ever since Fred had passed and Ginny knew it was more her than him.....in fact, it was probably all of her fault why their relationship suffered at all. She just couldn't bare to be close to him when every time she looked his way she would see Fred and then the emotions that came with that was something she could never let herself feel, so she kept pushing them away.....along with her brother.

Things had become awkward between them since the shop was destroyed and soon Ginny stopped going altogether. It was the weekend and she decided she would pop in on Harry in an attempt at a lunch date, so she made her way to the ministry. She gave a quick knock on his office door and then opened it a bit and peeked her head in.

"Harry?" she called out.

She gave a sigh and walked inside and gently closed the door and took a seat on his desk like she normally did every weekend. She always would find the same knick knacks on his desk, but they were always charmed to do something different every time she saw them which brought a small smile to her face. She noticed the massive pile of paperwork on his desk and she shook her head at how he could desperately use someone to give him a hand. She thought back to what her Mum suggested about asking Harry for a position here, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to be around Harry that much, especially if Cho was going to be around all the time.

She went to go slide herself off the desk when her eye caught a file sticking out from under a pile of papers. Her attention was drawn to the name on the file....."Malfoy". She quickly got up and walked around the desk and grabbed the file and opened it up. The file was a lot thicker than she thought it would be and she started skimming through it. She was surprised to see that the file wasn't about the Malfoy family, but rather just on Draco Malfoy, and it wasn't necessarily a file on him, it was a case file. Ginny was sure some of the answers she was hoping for were in here and continued looking through it. She stopped on a picture that read "Malfoy Estate" but it was definitely not the Malfoy Manor she knew; it was still a big beautiful house but much smaller. She soon learned the house belonged to Draco himself and soon the answers she was looking for just turned into more questions. She felt something hard laying in the file and she was trying to flip through to find what it was when she suddenly heard the doorknob start to turn. She quickly closed the file and slipped it under a few papers and grabbed one of the knick knacks and pretended to be fixated on it as she spun around in Harry's desk chair.

"Well, finally" she said sarcastically, getting up and walking back around his desk.

"Oh Ginny, I didn't realize you were going to be stopping by." He said, quickly making his way to his desk. "Sorry I was just buried in paperwork all week." he explained, grabbing a few files and putting them away.

"Oh, it's fine, I just thought maybe we could grab lunch." she casually suggested, watching him grab Malfoys file and putting it in a separate file cabinet.

"Oh, uh, yeah....yes lunch sounds great." he said, having her lead the way out of his office.

___________________________________________

Harry and Ginny soon found a place to eat and made some light conversation. It had honestly been a while since they had gone out for lunch together since Harry was always cancelling them. She wasn't really sure what to talk about, she really wanted to ask him questions about that file she found, but she knew better than to bring it up. It had also been bothering her that these people that Draco had a history with knew who she was and she wanted to know how.

"So, how's work been......besides all the paperwork?" Ginny teased, giving a light giggle. "Crack any cases?"

"Nah, just a lot of researching this week." he said, waving his hand.

Ginny was quiet for a moment. "So how are things...uh.... with Cho?" she asked, not looking him directly in the eye.

He looked at her with an amused smirk. "Do you really want to know how things with me and Cho are?" he lightly laughed.

"Not really, but it would be rude if I didn't ask" she laughed.

"And when exactly have you cared about being rude?" he teased.

Ginny tossed her straw wrapper she had been playing with at Harry as she gave a small giggle at his comment. She missed having Harry be a friend to her, he was never around anymore and when he was, it was always about work or cancelling plans due to Cho.

"So I guess I should ask since Mum's been on me about it." Ginny started.

"Alright, what's up?"

"You think you could hook me up with a job.....maybe your own personal assistant?"

"You mean a chance to boss you around? Absolutely!" he joked.

"Yeah we'll see who's doing the bossing around." she shot back.

"Yes, we will, you can start on Monday." he said with a bright smile.

"Perfect," she responded, her mind already set on getting her hands on Malfoys case file.

______________________________________________

She knocked for the third time now and was still not receiving an answer from within. She thought about just turning and leaving him be, but her Motherly instinct wouldn't let her. She quietly turned the knob and opened the door into the dark room.

"Draco? I brought you up some dinner," she said quietly, stepping into his room.

"I don't want anything," he mumbled from his bed.

She walked around the bed to see his face, but could barely make it out in the darkness that filled the room. She placed the tray down and turned on a small lamp. Draco immediately turned over away from her.

"Please leave me alone Mother." he said, a bit of anger growing in his voice.

"I will if you eat something, you're barely eating and your Father and I haven't seen you out of your room in a over a week. Something has to change Draco, why don't you come over to the Zabini's with us tomorrow?"

"FOR THE LAST BLOODY TIME I DON'T WANT TO BE BOTHERED, NOW GET THE HELL OUT!"

She grew angry, but tried to calm herself before pressing on. "Draco dear, I.....I don't even know anymore what to say." she said with some emotion and then quickly left his bedroom.

He watched her leave, slamming the door behind her; he felt bad for making her upset, but he didn't care right now. Ever since he saw the people again that were responsible for all the pain and suffering he and his family had gone through, all he wanted was revenge and the fact that he couldn't have it was hard to let go off. He quickly ripped the blankets off himself and sat up in frustration. He looked at the tray of food his Mother had brought up and just hung his head in defeat as he grabbed a small piece of a dinner roll and stuffed it in his mouth before turning back over and letting himself drift off into a restless sleep.

_______________________________________________

"Knock, Knock!" Ginny called out as she opened the door to Harry's office and walked inside.

"Well, well look at you, all dressed up." he teased her about her outfit.

"Yeah, I was going to go with my ripped jeans, but then I thought, eh, I'll save that for casual Friday." she joked, smoothing out the black skirt and ivory blouse she was wearing.

He gave a light laugh and then got up and patted his seat for her to take his place behind the desk. "Since you seem so eager why not dive right in." he said, grabbing a pile of papers and files off a nearby table and plopping them down on the desk in front of her.

"Yippee" she mumbled sarcastically. She let out a heavy sigh. "Isn't there some cases to crack or something, you know I would make a great detective." she suggested, picking up one of the files and flipping through it.

He gave a small laugh and shook his head, "Sorry, Gin, nothing too exciting right now. I actually have to be at a meeting so just file that stuff until I get back."

"I'm so excited I can hardly wait to start." she said, giving him an exaggerated smile.

He gave a small chuckle and then left the office.

She started filing the files until she knew for certain he wouldn't be returning for any last minute papers he had forgotten to grab. A few files later and then she quickly went over to the file cabinet that she had seen him put Malfoys file in and went to open the draw and realized it was locked.

"Dammit" she mumbled. She quickly pulled her wand out and aimed it at the draw. "Alohomora" she whispered.

She gave a frustrated growl when nothing happened and started pulling hard on the drawer. She went over to the desk and started rummaging through the drawers in hopes of finding some kind of special key. She started growing angry when she wasn't finding anything and eventually gave up. She sat back in the chair and slouched down in defeat; she needed to find that key, or learn a more powerful unlocking spell. Her mind went to Hermione, she would definitely know something, but Ginny knew she would probably question her as to why she needed to know something like that.

Deciding that she would continue searching in even the most unlikely of spots for the key, her eyes fell on a box in the corner behind his desk that was covered in a massive pile of paperwork. She tried to lift the lid of the box without having to move the entire pile but it was no use. She waved her wand and levitated the massive pile up a bit and then opened the box. It was just more papers unfortunately, mostly medical records it looked like. She growled in frustration and went to close the box when her name caught her eye. She moved a few stacks on top of it and saw it was indeed a medical record on her.

"Why the hell would Harry have this?" she whispered to herself.

She was just about to open the file when she heard the doorknob turn and she quickly threw the papers back in the box and released the levitating spell. She was thankful when she saw Harry was too distracted with another pile of paperwork to have noticed she was snooping around.

"Back so soon? Wow, more paperwork too, I see, no wonder you can never catch up." she said, walking over and grabbing half the pile from him.

"Ha, yeah, it was just a quick meeting, normal routine stuff and yes, more paperwork, which is why I need you.....too...... Uh, I see you barely touched your work." he said with a smirk.

"Oh....yeah, I just had to familiarize myself with the filing system and all. Plus, you know it's hard to get excited about such boring work."

"Ha ha," he said sarcastically, placing the new paperwork down on his desk.

"Uh, Harry, would there happen to be a library in this place?" she asked suddenly

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "A library? You want to go to a library?" he chuckled.

"Shut up," she said, slapping him hard on the arm. "I'm just trying to keep my mind busy......outside of my new awesome job that is."

"If you say so, anyway, yeah, there's one downstairs all the way down towards the back. It's actually pretty big. You should find something in there to hopefully keep that mind of yours busy, but fair warning its mostly Ministry related stuff."

"Perfect," she said with a bright smile.

She took a seat across from Harry and continued working on the files before her and watched him out of the corner of her eye. He looked like he had something heavy weighing on his mind and she wondered if she should ask him, but instead she decided to try and squeeze some info out of him.

"Hey Harry?" she asked, clearing her throat.

"Yeah, what's up?" he answered, not looking up from the letter he was writing.

"Listen.....I know you refuse to tell me anything more about what happened in Hogsmeade, but I just want to know-"

He let out a long sigh that made her stop and she was sure he was going to go off on her for prying again, but instead he just ran his hand through his hair and looked at her.

"Gin, the only thing that I'm able to tell is what I have already."

"But, why did you have to talk to Draco alone, why was he so angry afterwards?"

"Because I told you, there was just some bad history with these guys and the case was closed and Malfoy is insistent on me reopening it when there is nothing to reopen. It's done." he explained, picking his quill back up and continued to write his letter.

"But......it didn't seem done the other day, that person knew where Draco was and there were people already waiting for him....it was a trap, how is that over with if-"

"GINNY!" he suddenly yelled, slamming his hands on the desk making her jump. "LISTEN TO ME, THE MALFOYS WILL ALWAYS HAVE ENEMIES NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO AND NO MATTER WHERE THEY GO. SO STOP TRYING TO MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING!"

She just stared at him in anger, the way he was talking to her made her want to punch him out, but she couldn't help but think if maybe he was right. She was so bored with her own life she was begging for some kind of adrenaline rush and she had recently found it with this unsettled feud Draco had. She so desperately wanted to know what was in Malfoys file that she never thought about it possibly being nothing more than just a few files based on the stuff Harry already told her.

They were both quiet for a while, she saw the guilty look Harry had on his face.

"I'm sorry, Gin....I didn't mean to get so angry, I just want you to not have to think you need to get involved in something that is nothing......I know how you are." he finished with a small smirk. "Why don't you go take a small break and visit that library." he suggested.

Ginny didn't say anything, she just gave a stiff nod and quickly got up and went to walk away when Harry gently grabbed her wrist and turned her to face him.

"I really am sorry Ginny, I didn't mean it." he said quietly, obviously ashamed at his sudden outburst.

She finally gave in and gave him a small smile. "I guess I'll forgive you since you gave me this adventurous, rewarding and fulfilling job." she teased, as he pulled her into a tight hug.

Ginny couldn't help but notice the way he held her close to him, his touch was gentle yet firm. She pulled away from him slightly and locked eyes with him for a moment and she suddenly bit her lip at the sudden awkwardness of it all. He quickly cleared his throat and then released her and walked back behind his desk to continue his letter.

"See you in a bit." she said before slipping out of the office and letting out a long sigh.

______________________________________________

Ginny wasted no time going through every shelf in the library until she finally came to the section she was looking for. She found a book on advanced magic and soon found the spell she needed. She quickly waved her wand and made a replica of the incantation and then stuck in her bra and went to make her way back to Harry's office. She saw her Father walking a little bit ahead of her and ran to catch up with him.

"Well hello there," she said casually beside him.

"Ah, Ginbug, my new co-worker." he smiled brightly, grabbing her into a one armed hug. "So how's your first day?

"So amazing, my mind is just completely blown away at how awesome shuffling papers are," she said sarcastically rolling her eyes.

Arthur just laughed and then waved his hand at her. "It's just something to keep you busy for now, you'll find something that I eventually just know you will definitely be amazed by."

"Thanks Dad." she said, giving him a quick departing peck on the cheek before she continued back to Harry.

By the time Ginny had gotten back to Harry's office, he was getting ready to leave for his lunch break, which was perfect timing for her to unlock that drawer.

"Hey, how was the library?" he teased.

"Oh, you know, I wouldn't say I got as hot and bothered as Hermione would have." she said, taking a seat at his desk once more.

Harry gave a quick snicker. "So do you want to grab lunch?"

"Oh, you're not going out with Cho?" Ginny asked, surprised that he was asking her.

"Well, I didn't ask her yet, I figured I'd ask you first since I'm always cancelling our plans."

She smiled at him for a moment and then remembered the task at hand. "Actually, I'm going to try and get some work done and I'm not that hungry, so go on with Cho" she casually said, turning back to the files on his desk.

"Ok, see you later then."

As soon as he left the room, she pulled out the paper with the incantation on it and went over to the cabinet. She waved her wand and to her surprise it worked on the first try and then she heard a quick click.

"Yes," she mumbled a small victory as she pulled the drawer open.

There it was, Malfoys case file and she wasted no time reaching down to grab it. She was suddenly met with some sort of barrier around all the files that was keeping her from taking any of them. She quickly pulled her hand away when she felt it start to burn.

"Are you kidding me right now?" she growled in anger.

There was what seemed to be something that replicated a mini ward around the files in the cabinet that she could tell was going to require some advanced magic to penetrate through. She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration and then looked back into the drawer. Her eyes grew wide when she saw her name on one of them, followed by a few other names, some of which she recognized and others she didn't.

"What the hell?" she said quietly.

She suddenly remembered the hospital files from earlier with her name on it in the box she found and quickly levitated the pile of papers again. Her heart sank when she saw they were now all gone, every single piece of paper. She felt completely lost right now, what was going on? Why did Harry have a file on her locked up in a file cabinet and an advanced protection charm around it. Why was that file cabinet filled with the same files related to Malfoys case? She had so many questions, but knew she would never get any answers to them.

She quickly put everything back the way she found it and stormed out of Harry's office and went off in search to find the answers herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okkk sooo yes I know more questions, you are all probably just as lost as Ginny right now, lol.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the chapters are coming out slower than normal. I have had a crazy work week so I will hopefully be writing away this weekend! Hope you all enjoy

Ginny's first stop that day was at St. Mungos; she planned on getting a copy of her medical file to find out if there was something more that went on then she remembered. She only remembered getting really sick and having to be in the hospital for a while, but the whole event of it happening was fuzzy in her mind. She always just thought it was the fact that she was sick that made everything unclear to her during that time.

She approached the counter and was greeted by a nurse with a bright smile. "Good afternoon, how can I help you today?"

"Uh, yes, I need a copy of my medical records please"

"I can definitely help you with that, what's the name dear?"

"Ginevra Weasley"

"Just a moment," the lady responded getting up and walking off to where Ginny assumed the records were stored.

Ginny waited there for almost ten minutes before the lady came back and to her dismay, she was empty-handed.

"Miss Weasley, I'm afraid your file isn't available to you right now."

"What? It's MY file, how can my own file not be available to me to view?" she snapped angrily.

"I understand your frustration, however, it is a direct order from the Ministry of Magic and we cannot override something like that. I'm sorry." the nurse finished, taking a seat back at the desk.

"I work at the Ministry, can't you release it to me?" she went on.

The nurse looked up at her and shook her head. "Unfortunately, there is a lock on that file that can only be released by the Ministry official who ordered it."

"And who would that be?" Ginny asked through clenched teeth.

"There are two actually, so either Harry Potter or Arthur Weasley would have to retrieve it I'm afraid."

"What?" Ginny asked more to herself than the nurse before her.

She started walking away and was about to apparate back to the Ministry to give Harry an earful when she stopped herself. She knew she couldn't just start demanding answers again because she knew he would know she was trying to find out information. She was sure the copy of the medical files she found in Harry's office earlier he must have moved to that filing cabinet. She gripped her wand tightly and apparated to the only other place she could think of in hopes to get some answers to the many questions that kept building up.

As Ginny strode up to the massive double doors to Malfoy Manor she couldn't help the small smirk she tried to hide as she thought about how unwelcome she knew she was here. Choking back any giggle that threatened to escape her mouth, she waited for the door to open and soon Tilly was standing before her.

"Good afternoon, Miss Weasley," she said before allowing her to enter the house and then closing the door behind her.

"Hey, Tilly is Draco here-"

"Well, well, Miss Weasley, I'd say I'm surprised to see you here, but then again, you've seemed to make a habit of dropping by uninvited." Lucius drawled as he approached her with Narcissa close behind him.

"Sorry, I was just hoping I could speak to Draco," she said, hoping by some chance they would allow her to roam their home once more.

Ginny noticed Narcissa raise an eyebrow at her work attire which made Ginny feel like she had to explain. "Oh, I just started a job at the Ministry."

"I see...and you came straight here in the middle of the day to speak with Draco? What about?" she asked, taking a step closer to the redhead.

"Relax, I'm just on a lunch break and thought I'd come say a quick hello, see how Draco's doing since the Hogsmeade incident," she said casually, hoping they wouldn't read more into it.

"He's fine, now leave Miss Weasley before this becomes a matter of trespassing." Lucius threatened.

"Besides, Draco won't even acknowledge us when we go up there, so I doubt seeing the likes of you will be any different," Narcissa added, almost in an amused tone.

Ginny turned her gaze to the top of the stairs where she knew the direction of Draco's room to be. "I bet you I can get him out of bed and even down to dinner tonight." She said smugly, turning back to face them both.

"And just what exactly do you think you can do differently than we can?" Lucius said with a sneer.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll think of something," She said with a small smirk.

"Alright Miss Weasley, however, if you fail to do so...then we want you to cut all ties with Draco. No more showing up uninvited and no more wandering the Manor like some rat." Narcissa said in a cold hard tone.

Ginny just glared at her for a moment and let the words sink in. "Alright, and if I succeed then..." she stopped for a moment and thought carefully. "Then I get to ask you one single question and you have to answer it...honestly."

Narcissa exchanged a look with Lucius before she looked at Ginny's outstretched hand and quickly grabbed it. "Deal"

Ginny turned on her heel and started up the steps towards Draco's bedroom. Narcissa and Lucius just watched her make her way there when Lucius turned to his wife.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"It's fine, I'm his Mother and he won't even look my way; believe me he won't be kicking off those covers for that redheaded mop bucket," she said confidently.

"If you say so, although, she's cleverer than we've thought her to be."

Narcissa gave him a deadly glare and he held his hand up to calm her from getting angry. "Just simply stating that is all," he added.

She gave him one last glare and then stormed off down the hall.

Ginny knocked on Draco's door over and over and like always, never received a response and always, as a result, she made her way inside. She closed the door behind her and stood in almost total darkness; if it weren't for the few rays of sunlight shining through small cracks in the curtains and blinds she would barely be able to make out her hand in front of her. She looked over at the sleeping form of what she made out as Draco and made her way over to him.

"Draco?" she softly whispered.

He didn't answer her, she wasn't even sure if he was asleep or not.

"DRACO!" she said a little louder this time.

She walked closer to the side of his bed and soon realized he was definitely asleep and having what she assumed was a nightmare or something. His skin was clammy and his hair drenched in sweat; she wasn't sure if she should leave him be or try waking him. Instead, she reached down and gently touched his arm.

"Drac-"

She jumped in surprise when he suddenly jolted up and grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her halfway onto the bed like a rag doll.

"HEY ITS ME! STOP!" she suddenly yelled out when she felt his other hand around her throat.

It took him a second to realize what was actually happening. "WEASLEY? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he yelled." AGAIN!" he added.

"I need to talk to you, it's important."

"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! NOW!" he screamed.

She didn't say anything and neither did he, he just stared at her.

"Well, I would, but you still kind of have a death grip on me, soooo if you could just let me go that would be great." She teased him with a smirk as he suddenly realized he had her half pinned down on his bed still. "Although, this is kind of turning me on." she joked.

He quickly scrambled to get up and walked away from her and walked over and sat down on the couch. He placed his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes as the nightmare was still fresh in his mind. He turned to Ginny, who was straightening out her outfit that he accidentally made a wrinkled mess.

"What the hell are you wearing, Weasley?"

"Ah, you like? It's my new getup for work," she said playfully, walking over to him and sitting beside him. Her facial expression became a bit more serious. "Are you ok? Looked like you were having a nightmare or something."

He just glared at her and then suddenly stood up and grabbed her roughly by the arm and started dragging her towards the door.

"I TOLD YOU, WEASLEY, TO STOP BOTHERING ME-"

"NO WAIT, I NEED TO ASK YOU SOMETHING"

"THERE'S NOTHING TO ASK NOW FUCK OFF" he yelled, opening his door and getting ready to throw her into the hall.

"I NEED YOUR HELP STEALING A CASE FILE FROM THE MINISTRY!" she yelled out before he could force her out the door.

He turned to her with an expression she couldn't make out exactly, but she knew she had his attention.

"What?"

She wiggled her arm free of his grasp and then closed his bedroom door again; this time it was her who dragged him over to the couch and turned on a small nearby lamp to better gauge his reaction.

"Harry has a case file on me, do you know why?"

Draco looked surprised by this information and then shook his head, "No"

"Well, he has one on you too and it's a big one."

Draco suddenly jumped up at this news, "Can you get it?" he quickly asked.

"Well, that's what I need help with, I was able to bypass the lock on the drawer, but each file has some sort of its own ward or something around it. I can't touch any of them without burning my hand completely off," she said in annoyance. "Do you know of anything... a charm or something that might deactivate it?"

"Maybe, it's hard to say without seeing it," he answered, suddenly getting lost in his thoughts.

They were both very quiet all of a sudden as they both wondered what was in those case files. Draco already knew the things that would be in his, but if there was something new that he could find out, then had to get his hands on that file.

"Draco?" Ginny suddenly spoke up, her tone less playful and more serious. "Please don't lie to me...do you know why there's a file on me?"

He just stared at her for a few seconds, "No, seriously, Weasley, I have no clue."

"I went to St. Mungos too and they wouldn't even release my records to me, they said it was locked and could only be released into the hands of the people who put the request in, which was Harry and my Father."

"What? Why?" Draco would be lying if he wasn't a bit intrigued by the information Ginny was telling him, why was there a file on the Weaslette, what could possibly have happened to the redhead before him that Harry had to keep it a secret.

Ginny just shook her head and then stood up and started pacing the room. "There is...one other thing." she continued, looking up at Draco, who was now standing a few feet away from her.

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"That day in Hogsmeade, those people...they knew who I was and they were very much surprised to see me."

"DO YOU KNOW WHO THEY ARE? DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THEY LOOKED LIKE? WHAT ELSE DID THEY SAY TO YOU?" he suddenly started berating her with questions like some madman as his hands somehow found their way around her upper arms and were holding her tightly.

"I...I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T REMEMBER THEM AT ALL"

"TRY AND THINK, WEASLEY, THEY HAVE TO HAVE KNOWN YOU FROM SOMEWHERE"

"YOU'RE HURTING ME!" she yelled at him as he started to shake her in the hopes that some kind of answers would spill out of her.

She suddenly shoved him hard backward and then quickly brought her wand up and had it pointed at him. "WHAT THE HELL DRACO?"

He was breathing heavy and suddenly realized how he must have looked to her. He had a sneer on his face at the wand she had pointed at him and a small smirk crossed his face.

"What... are you afraid of me Weasley?" he said, taking a step closer until her wand was against his chest.

"Hell no," she said, lowering her wand and then stepping closer to him until her body was only a few inches from his. "But I bet it scares the shit out of you that I'm NOT afraid of you." she finished with a smug smile before pocketing her wand.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Just forget it, I have to get back to the Ministry. I'll come over tomorrow and we can try and figure out something to get those files," she said, getting ready to turn and leave.

"Hold on," he quickly said, making her stop and face him. "Why are you asking me for help?"

"Why not? You want to reopen some case that Harry won't and since I want my file and I know you want yours, well then..." she finished with a shrug.

"Ok, but I do have one condition."

"What's that?"

"You have to give me your word that you won't read it," he said, his face serious and what Ginny could have sworn was sadness in his eyes.

"Alright, well then I should tell you... the other day when it was laying out in the open on Harry's desk there was a picture in there of a house." she paused for a moment to see his reaction. He was looking at the floor while she spoke. "Draco?... Is that your house?"

He was quiet for a while and she was regretting even bringing it up. She didn't really know what was in that file and bringing up the picture of the house she had seen that day seemed to have hit a sore spot with Draco.

He finally looked up at her. "It was"

She gave a small nod and so badly wanted to ask him more about it, but she knew this wasn't the time.

"So yeah, I'll come by tomorrow after work and we can try and work on something," she said, quickly trying to change the subject.

"Uh, yeah, but my parents can't know you're here so how exactly will that work?"

"Just meet me outside the ward around three tomorrow and apparate me up here," she said casually.

He gave a small nod.

She started to walk out of his room and then turned around once more. "Oh, one more thing, you have to make sure you go down to dinner tonight."

"Why?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just this bet thing I have going with your parents," she said waving her hand casually. "So yeah, I'm going to need you to make an appearance tonight...thanks," she said with a bright smile before leaving his bedroom.

Ginny made her way downstairs to the front door and saw Lucius and Narcissa approaching her.

"He'll be down at six for dinner," she said as cheerfully as she could muster up with a smug look before she let herself out.

Lucius just turned to his wife who had a mixed expression of anger and shock on her face. "Told you she was clever."

Ginny had spent the rest of that evening looking through any books she had that were related to advanced magic, but most of her books were nothing more than stories and about Quidditch. She gave a long sigh and laid back on her bedroom floor when she heard a small knock on her door.

"Come in," she mumbled, rubbing her face in frustration.

"Ginny dear, you barely ate any dinner tonight, is everything alright?" Miss Weasley asked, walking into her room and sitting on the bed.

Ginny was quiet for a moment and then finally sat up and faced her mum. She looked down at the floor for a few more seconds and then back up.

"Mum, why was I in the hospital for so long with the flu? Why can't I remember much of what happened?"

Molly just stared at her and then gave her a small smile. "Oh Ginny, you were just very sick...your fevers were so extremely high that they thought it best you stayed under the supervision of a MediWizard."

"But for that long? How did I end up there?"

"You were out with some of the girls from the Quidditch team catching up and you just collapsed I assume. I wasn't there, but that's what I was told...why are you asking this suddenly?"

Ginny got up off the floor and sat down beside her mother. "Mum..." she thought for a moment how she wanted to ask her about her medical records or the file sitting in Harry's file cabinet on her. She wanted to ask so many questions, but she didn't want to concern her mother, especially knowing just how overprotective she could be. "No reason...just curious," she said with a small smile.

"Oh Ginevra, your mind is always so busy, it's time for you to get some rest perhaps?" Molly suggested, pulling Ginny's cheek to her lips for a Goodnight kiss.

She gave a small nod."Night Mum"

The next day Ginny had hardly seen Harry due to back to back meetings he had which was ok with her since she wasn't sure if she could hold her tongue about the files in his office. She tried a few more charms on the files but had no luck so she spent the rest of the day snooping around for any information. She couldn't help but think back to when she was just being nosy about Draco and wanted some kind of adventure in her life and now here she was uncovering things she didn't even know existed.

She decided to get some work done towards the end of the day and was fixated on reading a certain file when there was a quick knock on the door.

"Come in," she called out, looking back down at the file.

"Oh hey, Gin, didn't expect to see you here."

Ginny snapped her head up at the sound of George's voice and just stared at him for a moment."Oh...hey, what's up?" she asked, grabbing the file she was reading and placing it in its proper filing cabinet.

"Was just waiting for Dad and Harry, we're supposed to get a bit to eat after they got off," he explained.

Ginny just gave a small nod that she was listening.

"Why don't you come along?" George suggested with a goofy grin.

"No thanks, I have plans anyway," she said with some annoyance.

"How long are you going to give me the cold shoulder, Gin?" George suddenly asked.

"What are you talking about?" she asked even though she knew exactly what he meant. She continued to file away in an attempt that he would see she was busy and end up leaving.

"Ginny?"

She just stopped and looked at him, he had a hurt look on his face, which was the hardest thing to look at when it came to George because he was always so happy. Looking at him made her feel angry, she didn't know why she was just mad.

"I need to get going, George, you can wait in here for them if you want," she said quickly getting ready to leave the office.

George grabbed her into a big tight hug and held her still even though she tried to push him away.

"I really have to go, George, please let me go," she mumbled against his chest.

"Oh come on, Gin, how often do you hug your broth-"

"I SAID I NEED TO GO!" she suddenly yelled, pushing him hard away from her.

Her heart sank at the expression on his face and he just gave her a nod that he understood. She opened her mouth a few times to say something, but she didn't know what to say. She didn't dare try to open herself up to feeling the effects of losing her brother, and every time she looked at George she felt forced to do just that and she just couldn't. Taking one last glance at the hurt on her brother's face, she apparated to Malfoy Manor.

Ginny's feet hit the ground right outside the wards and she stumbled a bit and found her balance against a nearby tree. All she could see was the look in George's eyes as she pushed him away and the feeling was unbearable. She couldn't seem to catch her breath and she felt like her head was spinning so she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and desperately tried to calm herself down.

"Whenever your ready, Weaslette"

Ginny's eyes suddenly snapped open at the sound of Draco's voice and she turned around to see him standing there waiting for her as they had planned yesterday. She just stared at him for a moment and then quickly nodded and walked over to him.

"You alright?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, guess I need to brush up on my apparating skills." she casually waved her hand and shrugged all her previous feelings off.

She grabbed his arm and before she knew it, she was standing in his bedroom in front of the fireplace. She noticed that his room was completely cleaned, no broken glass and papers all over the floor. The lights were even on which gave Ginny a chance to really take in just how big his bedroom was and once more the beautiful trimmings of the Manor.

"Well, well, someones been a busy bee." she teased, taking a look around the room.

Ignoring her sarcastic comments, Draco immediately gestured to the books on the coffee table. "This was everything from the library we have downstairs; I even went through my Father's study and grabbed what was in there also."

"That's...a lot of books," she said, looking at the pile of reading material in front of them. "I guess we should get started," she said, taking a seat on the couch beside Draco and grabbed a book and started flipping through it.

Neither of them really spoke the entire time, the only comments ever made were the lack of information they were finding or question whether a certain spell might work. Ginny jotted down a few charms that she would try, but otherwise, they weren't having much luck. It was about an hour and a half later when Ginny slammed one of the books down on the coffee table and slouched back on the couch.

"This is ridiculous, you probably need dark magic or something to break through that damn thing," she said in frustration, running her hand through her hair.

"Just keep looking, Weasley, there has to be something," Draco said as he kept looking through the books.

"What about Blaise? Do you think he can help? Don't you and your parents usually-"

"He can't help us" Draco cut her off.

"Why not?"

"Because Weasley, Blaise... he doesn't want to be bothered with me." he quickly said, getting back to the book in front of him.

"I thought you guys were friends? His parents don't seem to have a problem with you-"

"Is there a reason why you have this incessant need to stick your nose in everybody's business?" he snapped, closing the book in his hand and glancing at her before grabbing the next book.

She couldn't help but laugh at him insulting her and then gave a light sigh. "You know I can just ask him myself."

"Pft, yeah, good luck with that."

"What? You know I saw Blaise a couple of years ago, he was at a bar and he bought me a drink... we even shared a drunken dance." she laughed at the memory.

Draco turned to look at her. "When was this?" he asked, a serious tone to his voice.

"Uh, I don't know the exact date, but it was a few months after Harry and I broke things off." she shrugged, kicking her shoes off, then grabbing a book and flipping her legs onto the couch; she laid back with her foot lightly pressed against Draco's leg.

"Did he seem any different when you were with him?" Draco asked.

"Not any different from what I remembered of him...he was also tipsy so there was always that." she lightly laughed.

Draco just gave a small nod and then turned back to his book. They both got lost in their books again for another hour and Ginny was getting tired of flipping through pages.

"Can you stop that!" Draco suddenly snapped.

"Stop what?" Ginny asked, peeking over her book at him.

"With your bloody foot, you keep shaking it, what do you have a nervous tick or something?" he snarled.

She just smirked at him and then continued to exaggerate the tapping of her foot against his leg. She heard him let out a frustrated sigh and then he quickly stood up and grabbed her leg and pulled her off the couch. She fell with a hard thump on the floor and just started to laugh as she held her butt.

"Ouch...jerk," she said, throwing a book at him.

"Well stop being annoying," he said, taking a seat on the couch once more and grabbing another book.

"I need a break, what do you do for fun around this place?" she asked, getting up and walking around his room.

"Fun? What fun is there to have?" he answered, as he continued to flip through pages.

"Sounds like an answer a Malfoy would give." She mumbled and then continued to walk around his room and look at some of the objects he had scattered about. "Don't your parents ever come up here?"

"Yeah...unfortunately, it's almost six so I'm sure either my Mother or the bloody house elf will be up here soon to summon me for dinner." he scoffed, throwing the book aside and stretching out onto the couch.

She walked over and leaned over the back of the couch and stared down at Draco, letting her long ginger strands fall on his face. "You know instead of you sneaking me in here can't you just tell them you're having a friend over?"

"First off Weas-" he made a light spitting sound as a piece of her hair was laying across his nose and mouth. "Watch where you're flipping that mop around," he snarled, moving her hair aside. "First off, Weaslette, you would have to be a friend and second, my parents would definitely know we are up to something if I suddenly had the urge to hang around someone like you."

"Someone like me? Now, now, Draco Malfoy, I think you'll learn to love me." She teased, letting her body slide over the back of the couch and fall into the small space between Draco and the couch.

"Oof-what the hell, Weasley...your so...so"

"Soooo what?"

"WEIRD," he yelled in annoyance, getting up from the couch.

She just laughed at how riled up he got and then got up and grabbed her paper that had a few charms written down on it. "Relax, I'm going to get going, I'll try these out tomorrow, but if that doesn't work, then I don't know what to do next."

"Draco?"

Draco and Ginny's head snapped over to his bedroom door where there was a knock and then they heard Narcissa. They both looked at each other and then back at the door.

"Uh, yes, Mother?" he stuttered before gesturing for Ginny to hide somewhere.

The doorknob started to turn and Ginny threw herself to the floor and rolled under Draco's bed. She heard the sound of Narcissa's heels against the floor as she entered the room.

"Draco, who are you talking to?" she asked, looking around the room for someone else.

"What do you mean?" Draco said casually, sitting down on the couch.

"I heard you in here with someone else."

"I was talking to myself, it's not like I've got much else to do with my time. I'm just thinking out loud, now can you please leave me be," he said growing angry with her persistent nagging.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to check in...besides, I'm hoping you'll be down for dinner tonight?" she asked with a hopeful look on her face.

Draco looked at his Mother and then he turned to his bed where he knew Ginny to be hidden under. "Yeah, I'll be there," he said softly.

"Wonderful," she said simply and then went to turn and walk away when she suddenly took notice of all the books Draco had piled around him. "Catching up on some reading are you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow as she walked over to the stack of books and picked one up to study it.

"Why the hell do you care what I'm doing," he said angrily, snatching the book from her and throwing it aside.

She suddenly looked at him with a deadly glare and took a few steps closer to him. "Mind. Your. Tongue. Draco." she drawled with a slight hiss.

He just glared at her before she turned and started towards the door. "Oh, and since the Weasley girl doesn't grasp the concept of invitations, why don't you bring her down to dinner with you," she added, nodding in the direction of where Ginny's shoes had been kicked off.

Draco just stared at her with a slight sneer and she gave a small smirk before she turned and left his room.

Ginny slid out from under the bed and joined Draco over by the couch and quickly slipped her shoes back on. "Sorry"

He just looked at her and shook his head."Well, you better come up with something as to why you're here." he snarled.

"How about to help you further those studies that your mother told us about." she snickered.

He growled in frustration and walked past her and headed to dinner with Ginny close behind him.

Lucius was sitting in the dining room reading a copy of the daily prophet while he waited for his wife and son to join him for dinner. He suddenly heard Narcissa walking quickly into the room and roughly pulled out her seat and sat down in it. Lucius folded the paper and tossed it aside and raised an eyebrow at her angry arrival to dinner and then saw Draco in the distance.

"Ah, Draco, see you're going to join us-" he stopped when he saw Ginny Weasley behind him and watched her take a seat across from Draco beside Narcissa.

He sneered at the sight of her and then turned to Draco. He went to open his mouth to say something, but to say he was surprised to see her in his home once again would be a lie.

Noticing the awkward silence, Narcissa spoke up. "Miss Weasley here is going to be joining us for dinner. Draco failed to mention he was having company over tonight," she explained, grabbing some food off of one of the many plates before them.

"Did he now?" Lucius drawled, turning to look at Draco with a deadly glare. "So, tell me, Miss Weasley, what is it that you and Draco are up to this evening?" he asked with a forced smile.

Ginny quickly glanced over to Draco, who was apparently letting her figure this one out on her own. "I'm not really sure since it was Draco who was insistent on me coming over this evening," she said smugly, flashing Draco a triumphant smirk.

Lucius and Narcissa both looked at their son waiting for some kind of answer. Draco just shook his head slightly with a tight sneer as he glared at the redhead across from him. "Can I speak to you privately for a moment?" he said through clenched teeth.

"I don't think so, maybe it's time they knew the truth...that we are friends now," she said casually, leaning back in her chair.

She watched his parents exchange a look and then turn to him to explain and it amused her to see how riled up they got over the false news.

"I find that rather unlikely." Narcissa scoffed.

"And why is that?" Ginny challenged her; her amusement turning to anger.

"Because-"

"Because nothing, in case you two haven't realized; there is no war...there is no Voldemort, so why don't you stop acting like your better than everyone else, because at the end of the day I'm the one who's able to walk freely around town without being stopped by an Auror or whoever the hell else." She snapped angrily before getting up and showing herself out.

As soon as Ginny left, Narcissa turned to Draco and shot him a deadly look. "I do not want her in this house again. How dare she disrespect us like that," she said angrily.

"You mean tell you the truth?" Draco scoffed.

"Watch yourself boy" Lucius drawled.

"Whatever and what does it matter why she was here, aren't we suppose to be playing nice with them anyway."

"YES, BUT BY INVITATION ONLY!" Narcissa hissed. "And now that she works for the Ministry I wouldn't trust her to have free run of the Manor, not that I ever did in the first place, but especially in your room."

"As long as you are under this roof you will do well to abide by our rules," Lucius said sternly.

Draco jolted up out of his seat and slammed his hands down on the table, making his Mother jump a bit. "Well, I don't really have a choice on that one now do I?" He spat with such venom at his Father.

Lucius looked away from the pained and angry look on his son's face and then watched him start to walk away.

Draco stopped to turn back to the both of them and neared the table once more. "And by the way, if it wasn't for you two in the first place, I wouldn't be in this bloody mess... not all of it anyway," he said with an angry sneer and left the dining room.

Lucius looked across the table at his wife whose eyes swelled with tears at Draco's last comment to them. They both knew he was right in what he was saying, they were well aware of the life they lived before the war and how that ended up destroying their son's life in more ways than one. Before he could say anything to her, she got up from the table and quickly made her way out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your thoughts? I know your waiting for some Drinny action, but you know you can't rush these things, lol. It will be soon just hang in there!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, here is the next chapter! I hope you like it!

It had been a few days since Ginny had seen Draco last, she had owled him to let him know how the few charms they found, unfortunately, didn't work on getting through the protective spell around the files. She was spending any of her spare time trying to figure something out; she would go straight to the library after work and then spend most of the night reading books she lugged home. Then when she would finally decide to head to bed, she couldn't sleep because the only thing on her mind was those damn files. She was actually doing her work at the Ministry the past few days when Harry started noticing she was barely getting anything done. She knew she needed to keep this job if she wanted to try and find any answers to the hundreds of questions she had so she made sure to get a decent amount done.

"Alright Harry, I'm going to start heading out," she said, placing the last file in the cabinet.

"Thanks, Gin, so are you ready for tomorrow?" he asked, looking up from his work.

"What's tomorrow?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, dinner with the Malfoys?"

"What? I had no idea that was even happening...mum and dad never said anything," she said sounding surprised.

She was also surprised at the fact that Lucius and Narcissa were even trying to be civilized still. She figured it might have been from the words they exchanged a few days ago at the Manor. She was hoping Narcissa or Lucius didn't bring up the fact that she had been at the Manor a couple of times since the Hogsmeade incident because she knew Harry and her parents would have a lecture waiting for her.

"Yeah, I think they are coming to the Burrow," he said casually.

"Oh, are you and Cho-"

"Just me this time," he said with a smile.

Ginny just exchanged a small smile back. "Alright, well I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," she said before leaving the office.

Ginny walked down to the kitchen and sat at the table awaiting the arrival of the Malfoys. She watched her mother getting the rest of dinner together and then decided to grab the dishes and start setting the table.

"Are Percy and George coming tonight?" she asked her mum.

"Not tonight, dear."

"Oh, why not?" she casually asked, she was worried George didn't come because of how their last conversation went and she immediately felt guilty.

"I think he's just been busy with the shop dear," she said waving her hand.

"Oh" was all Ginny said before taking a seat once more at the table.

She rubbed her face to keep herself awake, she was exhausted but her mind would not allow her to get the rest she needed.

"Are you alright, Ginny? You know, if this job is too much for you-"

"Mum, I'm fine, relax. I'm going to catch up on some sleep tonight so no worries." she gave her mum a reassuring smile. She watched her mum continue to bustle about the kitchen, pulling trays out of the oven and tasting her food to make sure it was perfect. "Mum, why didn't you tell me the Malfoys were coming for dinner tonight?"

"I did sweetie, the night the letter came I told you how surprised we were that they suggested we have dinner at the Burrow? Don't you remember? You had your nose in all those books that night, perhaps you forgot?"

Ginny couldn't even remember the other night at all, she had spent all her evening's knee deep in books from the library, so she could have very well drowned out anything her mother told her. "I guess...sorry."

"Is that what you're wearing?" her mother questioned, taking a quick glance over her shoulder at Ginny's outfit.

"Yes, yes, yes and I"M NOT changing." she snapped, as she saw her mum give a small frown at her jeans and T-shirt combo. "Stop staring at me, I'm DONE trying to impress those jerks," she growled in frustration.

"It's not to impress anybody sweetie, it's just to avoid-"

"Mum, I don't care what they think...and neither should you." she snapped angrily, before storming out of the kitchen.

As she walked into the living room, she heard a knock at the door and immediately rolled her eyes at it. She stomped over to the door and whipped it open to see the Malfoys standing there.

"Well, well, look who it is, family of the year." she sarcastically drawled, holding out her hand for them to make their way in.

"I would've just barged right in and roamed your home like some nosy rat, but I thought I'd leave that to you, Miss Weasley." Narcissa shot back.

Ginny just gave her a deadly glare.

"Alright dear, let's mind our tongues," Lucius reminded his wife, placing a firm hand on her shoulder.

They both made their way into the living room and were soon welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Ginny turned her attention to Draco, who was already by her side in a moment as soon as his parents were out of earshot.

"Did you find anything else?" he quietly asked.

"No, nothing, I've been going every day after work and looking through books all night. I'm running out of ideas," she explained, leading him over to a corner to better discuss their dilemma.

"Alright...I'm going to suggest something that might sound crazy but...you're probably going to have to ask Granger."

"Screw that, no way. You don't understand, she WILL ask questions and then we can forget about getting any files at all." Ginny explained.

"Hey Gin"

Ginny and Draco turned to see Harry walking towards them.

"Oh, hey, Harry," she said with a small smile.

Harry and Draco just stared at each other for a few moments before Harry turned back to Ginny. "Mind if I have a quick word with Draco for a moment?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," she said before making her way into the kitchen.

"What do you want, Potter, want to take another swing at me?" Draco spat, pushing past him.

"Hold on a second," Harry said, grabbing his arm to stop him. "Listen, I'm sorry how that all went down, but when it comes to Ginny-"

"Yeah, I get it," he snarled, before ripping his arm free and storming off into the kitchen.

Dinner went by painfully slow; Ginny had a feeling it would be this way since the incident in Hogsmeade. She wanted to just scream out in frustration with how pathetic it all was, but she refrained from doing so and decided to try and spark up some sort of conversation.

"So, Dad, how much longer do we need to keep doing this crap before Kingsley decides we can all play nice?" she said casually, taking a bite of her food.

Everyone's eyes were on her at her blunt question.

"What? You know you're all thinking it," she said through a mouthful of food and a quick shrug.

"Well, Ginny, that's a very good question, Mr. Malfoy and I have a meeting with Kingsley next week to discuss it further," Arthur explained, clearing his throat to get the words out as the entire conversation started to become quite awkward.

"I'm sure he won't be too pleased with the latest events, however, I mean between Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade," Molly mentioned, sending a glare over to Ginny.

"And here comes a lecture... so I'm going to go ahead and NOT stick around for that thanks," Ginny sarcastically said before pushing out her chair and walking towards the back door. "I'd love to stick around, but...I just don't care right now," she said before opening the door and slamming it shut.

Draco had to lower his head and casually cover his mouth a bit to hide the smirk that was covering his face.

"My apologies, Ginny is just under a lot of... stress lately," Molly explained, anger rising in her voice at her daughter's rude departure.

"I can only imagine." Narcissa drawled with a slight smirk.

"I'll go talk to her," Harry said quietly before slipping out of the back door.

Ginny wasn't sure why she couldn't hold her tongue tonight, she was just pissed. She wanted to go off on her parents and Harry because she knew they were hiding something from her. She wanted to tear into Draco's parents because they acted like some privileged do-gooders that were owed something. She was tired of pretending and she was sick of not knowing what the truth was.

"Ginny, what was that about?" Harry demanded. "Acting like that won't help your Father's chances-"

"Please just shut up." she quickly cut him off.

He just stared at her with his mouth slightly open. "Excuse me?"

Ginny didn't answer him, she just took a seat on the steps and buried her head in her knees. "Just leave me alone," she mumbled out.

He took a seat beside her and gently put a hand on her back. "Gin, what's going on? Is something wrong?"

She turned her head to look at him and then sat back up. "Harry... have you ever lied to me?"

"I don't understand... what do you mean?" he asked with a confused look on his face.

"What do you mean you don't understand? Lie to me, have you ever been dishonest with me?" she repeated as she grew annoyed.

"No, I get that, but why are you asking me that?"

"So you have?"

"What? No, I would never lie to you."

"Pft, yeah right," she mumbled.

"Is this about the Hogsmeade thing again?" he asked growing angry.

"NO! And what if it is? You going to yell at me again?" she snapped, getting up from the steps and walking away.

He quickly caught up with her, "Ginny, stop it, please talk to me," he pleaded with her as he stood in front of her and gently grabbed her by the arms.

She just looked at him, his eyes seemed concerned for her and she knew she had to stop letting her anger and emotions come out like this. She watched him for a moment longer as his eyes searched hers for any sign that she was ok.

"Harry...I'm sorry, I'm just really tired, I haven't been sleeping well and I'm just moody."

She wasn't sure if he believed her or not, but he just gently nodded and then pulled her to him. Ginny was surprised when she felt him place a soft kiss on her forehead before pulling away and gestured for her to follow him back inside.

"I... don't think I can go back in there right now...why don't you just go back in without me; I'll be back in soon." she sighed, before taking a seat once more on the steps.

"Ok," he said before making his way back in.

Ginny just sat there for a few moments listening to the quiet sounds of the night. She decided she needed to clear her mind and with that, she grabbed one of her many brooms and took off for a long overdo broom ride. Feeling the light breeze whip through her hair was one of the things she missed most about flying. She really wanted nothing more than to confront Harry about those files, but the chance that he would deny it and then get rid of them was a chance she did not want to take. She wanted to find out what was in there first and then rip into him...well, depending on what it was...if anything. Again she kept thinking to herself that it could very well be nothing in there that was even worth all this sleep deprivation.

She did a few of her favorite tricks on her broom, but her favorite thing to do was to just fly as high and as fast as she can. She would dive down and then pull up at the very last moment before she hit the ground, just like she always did. She saw the lake down below that she had jumped in last time, but instead, her attention went to Draco who was down on the ground. She zoomed down and stopped just a few inches away from him, using her foot to skid to a hard stop.

"Leaving already?" she asked through her heavy breaths.

"Well, you know, you just went out of your way to be so warm and welcoming this evening," he smirked at her.

Ginny gave a light laugh. "Sorry, everything is just catching up with me."

"Draco... Let's go" came Narcissa's voice from the doorway.

They both turned to her. "I guess you're being summoned," Ginny teased as she received a glare from her.

Narcissa made her way over to Ginny. "Well, Miss Weasley, I'm sure you'll be wandering the Manor sometime soon so no need for goodbyes."

"If only you had won that bet," Ginny said with a smug smile. Then she suddenly remembered that she did indeed win that bet and Narcissa had to answer a question of her choosing.

Narcissa just glared at her. "Yes, if only," she turned to leave when Ginny stopped her.

"Mrs. Malfoy... can I speak to you for a moment, privately?"

Draco and his mother looked at each other and then to Ginny; Draco raised a questioning eyebrow to her, who gave a quick nod to trust her.

"I'd say no, but you've peaked my interest, what do you want?" Narcissa said coldly, walking out into the field.

"Well, I want to ask my question."

"Now?"

"Yes, but you can't ask me why I'm asking...just answer it... and truthfully."

Narcissa just squinted her eyes slightly at the redhead as she imagined what kind of a question she would ask her. "Alright, a bet is a bet."

"What is the disabling charm for that protective ward around that fancy home of yours?"

Narcissa just laughed. "Like I would actually ever tell you that? Why the hell would you even ask such a question? Did someone put you up to this?" she suddenly started asking questions, some concern in her voice.

Ginny could tell discussing the protective ward around the Malfoy home was a very sensitive topic and Narcissa automatically went into defense mode.

"Relax, no, it's nothing like that. There is something I need to get, but it's very much protected by some sort of advanced protection spell...seems like a bit of dark magic even. I know you're the person to ask about a potential disabling charm."

Narcissa just stared at her. "I can assure you...the wards around the Manor will NEVER be disabled; I've made sure of that. However, if you are seeking an advanced disabling charm for a bit of dark magic, then you need to USE a little dark magic." she simply explained, waving her wand and conjuring up a piece of paper that had an incantation written down on it. "Here you go, this will work."

Ginny went to take it from her when Narcissa still had it held tightly in her hand. "DO NOT make me regret giving you this, Miss Weasley," she said before letting the paper go.

Ginny just nodded.

"Good night, Miss Weasley," she said with one last glare at Ginny before she walked back over to Draco. "I'll see you back at the Manor, Draco, don't be long."

Draco nodded and then she joined Lucius back inside where they returned home. Draco quickly made his way over to Ginny and before he could ask her what that was all about she held up the paper to him.

"What is that?"

"I just got the disabling charm for those files from your mum," she said with a giant smile.

"What? How?" he asked, grabbing the paper from her and looking it over to make sure it was real.

"Just a bet I won," she smirked to herself.

"You know I'd ask you to explain, but forget it. What made you think to ask her?" They both just looked at each other. "Yeah, never mind," he mumbled.

Ginny watched his expression suddenly change from excitement to what she could have sworn was uncertainty.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Weasley, just make sure you grab that bloody file next time you play receptionist," he said with a small sneer, then turning to leave.

"WAIT!" she called out to stop him. He turned to look at her. "When was the last time you had a good fly?" she said, walking over to the spare brooms she had and gesturing to one of them.

He gave a giant smirk and then walked over to her and grabbed one. "I don't know, I think your mum is waiting for you so she can give you a proper lecture about your rude Weasley ways."

They both looked at the back window into the kitchen where Molly was doing dishes with an angry look on her face.

"Yeah, I rather put that off for as long as I can," she said before pushing off the ground and letting the night air whip around her face.

Draco just watched her for a second before he too joined her up in the air. He was surprised at how amazing it felt to just fly right now, it really did almost seem like all his worries were just left on the ground below. As soon as he thought he could actually enjoy what it felt like to not carry such pain and guilt, he soon found himself thinking of how he would soon have that file in his hands.

"Draco? Are you ok?" Ginny asked as she hovered beside him out of breath.

"Uh, yeah, I have to get going." he quickly said before he made his way back to the ground.

Ginny quickly followed him and dismounted her broom before finally catching up to his quick departure. "Draco, what's going on? Thought you'd be happy that we would finally get those files."

"Happy?" he suddenly snapped at her. "Believe me... what's in that file is NOTHING happy."

"That's not what I meant-"

"You know what, Weasley, let me explain myself to you so JUST MAYBE you can try to understand. We are NOT friends, I just need you to help me get this file and THAT'S IT! We will play pretend for a few more weeks for this Ministry bullshit and then your unwelcomed trips to the Manor will come to an end. I don't need any lunch outings, I don't need any fuckin broom rides, I JUST NEED THAT DAMN FILE!" he yelled.

"What's going on?" came Harry's voice from the porch.

Draco didn't even turn around, he just stared at the redhead before him who wanted to go off on him, but he knew Harry's arrival put a stop to that. He just shook his head slightly in frustration and then apparated back to the Manor.

"What was that about?" Harry asked, walking up to Ginny.

"Oh, you know, just Draco Malfoy being a complete arse." she shrugged.

Harry just nodded. "So I'm going out with Ron and Hermione tonight, you want to join us?"

"Are you guys going to... Pristine Point?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

"Yeah," he said with a smirk.

"Definitely then," she said with a bright smile.

Ginny thought about "Pristine Point" it was a place on a beach somewhere in the middle of nowhere that just had a bar, music and carefree people. It was normally a place that muggles hung out, but her, Harry, Hermione and Ron made a pact to use this place as a getaway after the war. Whenever they went they left their lives behind and were totally different people, they didn't use magic except to apparate there and back, especially because there was still some muggles that came and went. Nobody knew of this place except them four, not even Ginny's parents. They weren't allowed to talk about anything from the wizarding world and whenever someone new would be allowed into their little safe haven all former tension between any of them had to be left behind. This is where Ginny would have countless nights out and spend the entire night just dancing and drinking and most times passing out somewhere on the beach.

"Guess I'll see you there then." Harry said before apparating back home.

Monday morning arrived and Ginny found herself face down on a pile of files on Harry's desk. She jumped in surprise when she heard the door open then close and saw Harry walking up to her.

"Were you sleeping?" he laughed.

"I'm sorry, I was out all night." she moaned, rubbing her face roughly to try and wake up.

"Again? We went out Saturday night, you should have used last night to get some sleep." he said, giving her a stern look.

"I know, but I can't sleep so I just went out again." she sighed.

She was angry with herself because she was supposed to grab the file while Harry was at his morning meeting, but she dozed off instead. She was going to use her lunch break to grab it while Harry was gone, but her mother was insistent that she join her and her father for lunch.

"No more going out and partying all night... get some rest tonight," he ordered her.

"Yes, Dad," she joked before getting up and walking towards the door. "Guess let's go get this lunch date over with."

"Wow, first you're mad that I keep canceling them and now that we are having one altogether you don't want to go?"

"Oh shush," she said, pushing him out the door.

They arrived at Diagon Alley and met up with her parents at the new pub that opened up. The place was packed and noisy and Ginny's head wanted to explode all over the newly finished wood floor.

"Sweetheart, I think you need to go straight to sleep when you get home from work," Molly said, reaching across the table and cupping her daughters face with one hand. "You're starting to get circles under your eyes."

"Thanks for the update, Mum." She mumbled, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Have you figured out what you're wearing for the wedding yet?" Molly asked her.

"Huh?"

"Your brother's wedding? It's only in a couple of weeks; honestly, Ginny dear, do you have a clue what is going on lately?" she went off on her.

Ginny just drowned it all out and stuck to one-word answers throughout the rest of lunch.

The end of the day was finally nearing and Ginny just wanted to grab the files and get out of here. She spent the entire day doing actual work and she was sick of it already, it was just so boring she wanted to scream out in frustration.

"Hey, I'll be right back, I just need to go run these files to Kingsley real quick," Harry said before leaving the office.

Ginny wanted to take this opportunity to grab the files but was unsure of how long Harry would be gone. She decided to chance it and quickly made her way over to the file cabinet and unlocked it. Just as she went to go mutter the spell, there was a quick knock and then someone poked their head in.

"Oh, sorry, is Mr. Potter here?"

Ginny quickly sat back down behind the desk and grabbed a random file. "He'll be right back," she said quickly before looking up.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, I didn't realize you were working here now."

Ginny realized it was Chamberlain, who had entered the office, the Auror from that day in Diagon Alley. "Yep, you know being an accomplice and all I'm exactly right where I need to be." she drawled, folding her arms and glaring at him.

He just gave a small chuckle and then walked closer to the desk. "Perhaps an apology is in order, sorry Miss Weasley."

Ginny just gave a small smile.

"Anyway, I'm just dropping these off for Mr. Potter, I'm sure you can make sure he gets these." he said with a handsome smile.

"Uh, sure," she said, then watched him leave the room.

She was taken aback by how nice Chamberlain was to her and didn't expect an apology from him at all. She quickly cleared her head and then looked at the file he handed her and it had Blaise Zabini's name on it.

"Well, well, let's see what you're hiding Blaise," she said to herself before opening the file.

Harry had returned as she started flipping through it.

"Oh, hey Harry, that Chamberlain guy dropped this file off for...WAIT- WHAT?"

Before Ginny could take in what she was reading Harry had the file in his hand. "You shouldn't be reading that," he snapped.

Ginny just stared at him with wide eyes. "Harry...is that...a death certificate?" she asked as her mind started racing.

Harry just gave a hard sigh. "Yes"

"But...wh-how- I don't understand, when did Blaise die?"

"About two years ago; I thought maybe Malfoy had told you by now."

"I have to go," she quickly said as she stormed out of his office.

"GINNY WAIT!" he called after her, but she had already disappeared.

Draco found himself once again at the dinner table that he was forced to sit at every evening. He was waiting for Ginny to get here with the file and he couldn't keep his mind on a clear thought right now.

"Draco, you seem quite antsy; something on your mind?" Narcissa asked, watching him push his food around.

"Yeah, I'm wondering why I keep showing up for these pretend family dinners." he snapped.

"You'll keep pretending if you want to keep eating boy," Lucius said, shooting his son an angry glare.

They suddenly were alerted that someone had entered the wards around the Manor and Draco immediately thought of Ginny. Why the hell was she entering the wards when she was supposed to wait for him outside of them. Before any of them could get up there was a hard knock on the door and Tilly was making her way over to open it. As soon as the door was unlocked, it was thrown open and Ginny came storming in.

Draco immediately jumped to his feet and went to meet her halfway, but she was in front of him before he had a chance to take a step.

"What the hell are you doing her-"

Before he could finish his sentence he felt Ginny's hand hit him hard across the face.

"WHAT THE FUCK WEASLEY!?"

"HOW DARE YOU!" she screamed at him.

At this point, Lucius and Narcissa were on their feet as well and were about to step in when Ginny went off on Draco.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked angrily, bringing his hand up to his face where there was a giant welt mark.

She shoved him hard enough that he fell back into his seat.

"HOW COME YOU NEVER TOLD ME BLAISE WAS DEAD?"

He froze as soon as the words left her mouth and he didn't dare look at her or his parents.

"YOU KNEW HE WAS DEAD THIS WHOLE TIME AND YET YOU SPOKE TO ME ABOUT HIM LIKE HE WAS STILL ALIVE... WHAT THE HELL DRACO? WHY? WHY WOULD YOU LIE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT?"

He glanced up at her for a moment and for the first time since he had seen Ginny again, her face held emotion; he couldn't tell exactly what but it looked like hurt and betrayal, but mostly anger.

"I didn't lie... I just-"

"SAVE IT! HERE I AM TRYING TO HELP YOU BY TRYING TO STEAL ALL THESE FILES AND SHIT FOR YOU AND YOU DIDN'T THINK YOU SHOULD TELL ME THIS? THE TRUTH MAYBE? OH, THAT'S RIGHT, WE AREN'T FRIENDS SO I GUESS IM ON A NEED TO KNOW BASIS AND THAT CLEARLY ISN'T SOMETHING I NEED TO KNOW!"

Narcissa and Lucius looked at Draco as soon as Ginny mentioned the files she was trying to steal.

"Miss Weasley-"

"Don't worry, I'm going." she snapped, before turning on her heel and storming out of the Manor.

As soon as she started walking away Draco heard his parents start questioning him, but he didn't bother to listen to anything they said, he just quickly got up and ran after the Weaslette.

"WAIT, WEASLEY!" he yelled out to her when he saw her almost through the wards.

Ginny wasn't sure why, but she stopped and she waited for him to catch up to her. She was livid and hurt, all this time she thought they were somewhat on the same side and then to find out this secret was a lot to take it.

"What the hell do you want, Malfoy?"

He would be lying if he said the fact that she called him by his last name didn't upset him a bit. "I should have told you about Blaise... its just he didn't just die... he was murdered and... its just not something that's..." he had trouble finding the words.

"Murdered? By who? Why wasn't this is the paper or something?" she started berating him with questions.

"Blaise's family didn't want it to be... can't we discuss this inside?" he asked her.

She was quiet for a moment, her anger still coursing through her body. "No, I'm done with this right now, I have to go," she said before walking through the ward and apparating away before Draco could stop her.

Later that night Ginny had found herself sitting on her bedroom floor looking at an old newspaper article with Blaise's picture on it; something from their Hogwarts days. She let out a soft sigh before finally setting the article down beside her. She was so mad at Draco for keeping something like that from her, this whole time she had been helping him when really he was just keeping everything from her still. He did make it clear the other day that he was only interested in the files, so maybe it was unfair of her to be angry with him in the first place. She wasn't even sure how she felt about Blaise's death, she was saddened, of course, to hear about it, but to cry over it? Yeah, right, she hadn't cried in almost five years and she wasn't about to start now.

There was suddenly a light knock on her door, but she didn't bother to answer, she knew whoever it was would come in any way. She heard their footsteps come closer and then they took a seat beside her.

"Are you alright?"

She turned to look at Harry, she wasn't that fond of him right now either, but she was less angry at him than she was with Draco right now.

"Just peachy" she mumbled.

Harry took notice of the article she had been reading and then looked at her face. She was definitely upset, but Harry hadn't seen this kind of emotion from Ginny in a long time.

"You really should stop looking at this," he said softly grabbing the article.

Ginny quickly ripped it out of his hand. "JUST...just leave me alone, Harry."

"Are you really that mad at Malfoy?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"YES," she shouted, then let out a growl of frustration. "I want you to be honest with me, Harry," she said suddenly, looking at him with a serious expression.

"Alright, " he said, locking eyes with her.

"These people that attacked us in Hogsmeade... did they kill Blaise?"

Harry looked down at the article she had in her hand. "Yes"

"Is that why Draco wanted to catch them so badly?"

"That's... not the only reason... and don't ask me anything more about it. THAT is not my place to tell you," he said firmly, looking at her once more.

She just nodded.

"I think you need to get some rest tonight," he said, getting up and then holding his hand out for her to take.

"I'll try, I've got a splitting headache right now." she sighed, accepting his outstretched hand and letting him pull her to her feet.

"Probably from all the drinking you did over the weekend?" he teased.

She gave a small smirk.

"Uh, hey, Gin, just curious" Harry started.

"About?"

"Are you and Malfoy friends now...or like-"

"Or like what?" She laughed. "We are nothing, we aren't even friends apparently...why?" she asked.

"I'm just asking, you are so fixated on him lately."

"Yeah, because I'm trying to help dad out by making some sort of effort to be friends with that little wanker."

"So you ARE fixated on him?"

"What? No! Please leave." she suddenly snapped, ripping her door open for him to leave.

"Alright, alright, I'm going, I'll see you at work tomorrow," he said as he walked through the door.

Before he could get another word out, Ginny had slammed the door in his face.

Draco had been watching the fire burn for the past hour just thinking about the earlier events. He wasn't sure if he was angry at the Weaslette for acting like she had the right to know his secrets or if he was angrier at himself for not telling her. Why did it matter anyway? Why did he even care how she felt; were they, friends, after all? He definitely didn't think of her as one...did he? He rubbed his face and slouched down on the couch when he heard a knock at his bedroom door. He closed his eyes for a moment as he knew it to be his mother, but to his surprise, when the door opened, it was not only his mother but his father as well. He just laid his head back in defeat as his parents walked over and took a seat on either side of him.

"Draco, we'd like a word with you," Narcissa said sternly.

"Here we go," Draco mumbled and then picked his head up and waved his hand for them to go on.

"Pay attention, Draco, because we are only going to say this once. The fact that you have the Weasley girl trying to steal that file is the most brainless thing you could do. Not to mention the fact she's stealing from the Ministry and when it's discovered that it was for you, you can bet your bloody arse you'll have a cell with your name on it at Azkaban." Lucius lectured him.

"Thank you, Father, for the wake-up call, but I don't care-"

"WELL, WE DO!" Narcissa yelled out. The room became silent for a moment. "This does not just affect you, Draco, this affects us all. I understand that you were the most affected by this, but we all had to and STILL have to put up with the aftermath. Then suddenly you decide that you're going to take matters into your own hands and get Ginny Weasley involved."

"GET HER INVOLVED? SHE'S THE ONE WHO TOLD ME THERE WAS EVEN A FILE IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Draco shouted, standing up abruptly.

Narcissa and Lucius exchanged a look. "Why would she do that?" Narcissa asked, sounding surprised.

"I don't know... Probably because there is one on her too, and she needed help retrieving it." Draco said with a quick mumble.

"Is that why she needed my help with a disabling charm?" Narcissa asked, her expression a bit shocked that she unknowingly helped Ginny steal from the Ministry.

"What possessed you to give out that kind of information, Narcissa? Especially to that Weasley girl, who might I add has caused nothing but trouble since she stepped foot in this house," Lucius said angrily.

"I didn't know-"

"You can't say anything" Draco suddenly said, cutting his mother off before she and Lucius could get into it.

They both looked at him and gave an understanding nod before deciding to leave Draco's bedroom and save the rest of the conversation for another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so your thoughts? There will more about Pristine Point in later did you think about the news about Blaise? Did you expect it? Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys here you are! Enjoy!

"Ginny?"

He watched her for a moment; her chin resting in the palm of her hand and her cheek stretched out as her head started to droop.

"GINNY?" he called a bit louder.

She suddenly lifted her head and looked around the office and then her eyes fell on Harry.

"Are you alright? You dozed off again."

"I'm sorry, I really am, sleep is just not something I'm mastering lately," she said with a big yawn.

"Well, I'm going to head for lunch, why don't you take the rest of the day off and then tomorrow too." He said with a small smile.

"No, no, it's fine, Harry, I'm good," she said, quickly grabbing some files and going through them.

He walked over to her and closed the file and moved it away from her. "Go home, Ginny, and DO NOT show up here tomorrow. Now go get some rest," he said firmly.

She looked at him and gave an understanding nod.

"Alright, I'll see you, Gin, go sleep." he called out as he slipped out of the office for his lunch break.

As soon as Harry left, Ginny made her way over to the file cabinet and started working on the disabling charm. The first few times she attempted it, it didn't work and at one point she was about to give up. She looked over at the clock and saw she had wasted almost fifteen minutes on trying to get this charm to work and finally it did. She saw the small protection spell around the file start to disappear and she quickly reached in and finally had Malfoys case file in her hand. She went to go replicate the files so she could put the original back, but there was apparently a protective charm on it for that as well. Instead, she just shrunk the file and placed it in her pocket. Before she went to get her file next she had seen Blaise's file behind Malfoys and grabbed that one as well. She finally went to go grab her file and realized she had to use the disabling charm again on it; she realized it was only certain files that had an advanced protection spell around them.

"Ugh, are you serious right now?" she growled out in frustration. Before she could attempt the charm once more there was a knock on the door. "Son of a- COME IN!" she called out, letting out an angry growl.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, we meet again." came Chamberlain's voice through the doorway as he entered the office.

"Goodie, what can I help you with?" she asked, apparently annoyed by his entrance.

"Sorry to intrude, but Kingsley Shacklebolt would like to see you," he said.

"Me? About what?" she asked, her heart racing as she felt the tiny file in her pocket, hoping that she hadn't triggered some sort of silent alarm by removing it.

"I'm not sure, unfortunately, if you'd like I can escort you there?" he offered.

Ginny was a bit surprised at how different Chamberlain turned out to be then that day she met him in Diagon Alley. He looked younger than she remembered him to be and rather handsome apparently since she nodded in response. Chamberlain opened the door for her and held his hand out for her to go first.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she walked past him. "So, do you have a first name or should I keep calling you Mr. Chamberlain?"

He gave a small chuckle. "William"

"Oh, ok, Will," she giggled.

He stopped abruptly and looked at her. "Don't call me Will, just William," he said, his face serious.

"Oh, um...sorry?" Ginny said feeling awkward suddenly.

"I'm kidding," he laughed.

"Oh, thank goodness," she giggled, lightly slapping him on the arm.

"Will is fine, May I call you Ginny?" he asked.

Ginny just smiled and couldn't help but laugh at how polite this guy was being, it was like he was a totally different person when he wasn't busy being an Auror. "Yes, Ginny is fine."

"Wonderful, well, Ginny, I'm afraid I didn't notice the time and I need to be somewhere, but if you just follow the rest of this hall you'll come to a pair of double doors on your right and that's Kingsley's office." he gestured with his hand.

"Alright, thanks...Will," she said with a small smirk.

He returned the smile and started to walk away before he spoke once more. "Perhaps we could grab some lunch together sometime?"

"Oh...sure sounds good," she answered quickly as the question caught her off guard.

She gave a quick wave goodbye and then turned and started towards Kingsley's office. As she neared the double doors she became nervous again at the reasoning behind his request to see her. She gave a hard knock and then opened the door a bit to peek her head in.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, yes, Miss Weasley, please come in and take a seat," he said brightly, gesturing her over to his desk.

She closed the door behind her and made her way over to a chair across from him. He was finishing up a letter it looked like and Ginny's wandering eyes tried to make out who it was too.

"I see your still curious as ever, Miss Weasley," he said with some amusement as he gestured to her body almost leaning over his desk to get a better look.

Ginny hadn't realized she instinctively leaned forward to glance at the letter, almost to the point where she was off the seat. "Sorry, it's a sickness I suppose." she joked as she sat back in her chair receiving a small chuckle from Kingsley.

"Yes, it must be." he paused for a moment and just stared at her. "Miss. Ginny. Weasley... my, my its been a very long time since we have seen each other last...since the war, I believe?"

"I think so...sorry Sir, but why did you want to see me?" she pressed on.

"Oh yes, well, Miss Weasley, after everything with Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade I just wanted to check in with you, to see how you are holding up?"

"Oh" was all she could manage at first. "Um, I guess everything is fine," she said with a shrug.

"Good, good and what about Mr. Malfoy?" he asked her, his eyebrow slightly raised.

"How would I know," she said.

"Well, you two were together when these incidents occurred, I assumed you might know."

"Um, honestly Sir, I'm just trying to make an effort to be civil towards the Malfoys for my father. On both occasions it was neither of us that caused the problem...is that what you think?" she asked.

"No, no, not at all, in fact, if you don't have any questions your free to go, just wanted to do a friendly check-in," he said with a smile.

Ginny got up and started towards the door when she stopped and turned back to Kingsley. "Sir?"

"Yes, Miss Weasley?"

She wanted to ask him about Draco's case, but she figured that he would give her the same answers Harry did, not to mention the fact it was probably not a good idea to tell the Minister of Magic how she obtained the information she knew about by snooping through Harry's office.

"Um, nevermind." she decided.

"Very well, if you do decide that you have any questions or want to discuss anything further I'm just a knock away."

"Thanks," she said with a nod and then quickly left his office.

She swore he knew she was hiding something from him, it was like he knew she had that file right in her pocket. She shook off the nerves the entire visit gave her and made her way back to Harry's office. She walked inside and went to make her way to the file cabinet to attempt to get her file when she didn't even notice Harry was in the room.

"Your still here? I told you to go home," he said shaking his head at her stubbornness.

"Oh, I was about to, but Kingsley wanted to speak to me," she explained.

"Oh, what about?" Harry asked curiously.

"I guess he just wanted to see how I was doing since the whole Hogsmeade thing," she said casually shrugging it off.

Harry just nodded and then they were both quiet for a moment.

"Well, I'm going to head out I suppose," she said.

"Yeah, definitely, go get some rest, Gin, you need it."

She gave quick wave goodbye before apparating to her favorite Manor.

Ginny wasn't sure why she was even still helping Draco get his file after he lied to her, but she also knew her curiosity overpowered any anger she had towards him. She knew he asked her not to read it and she hadn't but she was still hoping to get some info out of him about it and even about Blaise's murder. She suddenly stopped right outside the two massive double doors and thought about how she wanted to know so much about something that was really none of her business. She all of a sudden felt ashamed to even feel like she had a right to know any of these things, although the fact that those people in Hogsmeade knew her made her want to know everything, especially since it might seem like everything might be connected.

She rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer, if anyone would at all. She couldn't really stomach any of them right now and was hoping it was Tilly that would answer the door. She was pleasantly surprised when it was indeed Tilly, who opened the door, but before Ginny could say a word Narcissa was in the doorway behind the house elf, waving her away.

"Well, well, I guess you do know what a doorbell is after all." Narcissa sarcastically drawled.

"Ha. Ha. I need to talk to Draco so are you going to let me in or not?" she snapped.

Narcissa folded her arms and leaned against the doorway. "Hm, you know what...I'm not sure yet, I've become so used to you just barging in and wandering about," she said. "But what really has me on the fence is whether or not I want you giving Draco that file."

Ginny just glared at her. "What file?" she asked, surprised in the first place that she knew about it.

"Oh, don't play stupid with me, Miss Weasley, Draco told us that you were trying to get that file for him. I especially love how you manipulated me into helping you do so, so I want that file." she finished in a menacing tone.

"Well, I don't have it, the charm you gave me didn't work," she lied. "Guess your a little out of practice," Ginny said smugly.

Narcissa just glared at her. "I know your lying, Miss Weasley."

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do...search me?"

"If I have to-"

"Weasley?" Narcissa and Ginny bother turned to see Draco standing behind his mother. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, can we talk?" Ginny asked.

Draco just nodded and gestured for her to come in as Narcissa barely moved enough out of the way for Ginny to pass. She managed to squeeze by as they both exchanged an angry glare before she followed Draco up to his room. She took a seat on the couch and waited for Draco to join her. They were both silent for a few moments as their last encounter together seemed to be replaying in both of their minds.

"Well, what do you want, Weasley?"

She just stared at him for a few seconds before reaching into her pocket and placing the tiny file down on the table. She waved her wand over it to enlarge it back to its normal size and soon there was a thick file full of papers lying on the table.

"There it is...your case file," she said softly.

Draco just stared at the pile of papers in front of him and then quickly stood up and started to pace his room in deep thought.

"Are you going to open it?" Ginny asked.

"I...I don't know if I can," he whispered.

"WHAT? You do know what I went through to get this right?" she stated angrily.

He didn't say anything which made Ginny angrier, she quickly pulled the file towards her and went to open it up herself, but before she could turn the cover over, Draco had his hand over it.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" he yelled.

"Well, if you not going to look at it then I am," she said as she went to go pull it out from under his hand causing the file to fall on the floor.

They both just stared down at the file as a few papers fell out of it, causing Draco to quickly run over and start to gather them up.

"I'm so sorry," Ginny said as she got on the floor and started to help collect them.

Draco was quiet the entire time, he was just focused on getting all the papers back in the file before she could see any of them. He finally had them all back in the file when Ginny cleared her throat and handed him a photo he missed.

"Um...here's one more," she said softly as she took notice of the picture that had fallen out.

It was a picture of a knife covered in blood that Ginny assumed was the murder weapon linked to the just held it in his hand and stared at it for a while, his face had a hard expression but his eyes looked like they were about to fill with tears. Ginny gently took the photo from him and slid it into the file and placed it back on the table for him. She went to get up when her hand grazed something hard under the couch. She reached under it and saw it was a tiny vial that was labeled "Draco's memories". Ginny realized this must have been what the hard object was that she felt in his file the first day she found it.

"Draco, there's a vial of memories in here, we could-"

"No," he quickly said cutting her off as he went to grab it from her.

"What do you mean no? If we looked at these there could be answers to-"

"I SAID NO, WEASLEY, NOW GIVE ME THAT VIAL" he yelled, making another grab for it.

Ginny quickly moved her hand away as he went to reach for it. "I thought you wanted to see what was in here?"

"I ALREADY KNOW WHAT THAT IS, NOW GIVE IT HERE!" he shouted again through heavy breaths.

"No," Ginny said with an angry expression, "I'm sick of not knowing what the hell is going on, especially when some of this involves me apparently."

Draco grabbed a handful of his hair in frustration and then looked at her again, this time Ginny was sure he had tears welling in his eyes. "Ginny...please...please give me that vial...I-I promise I will tell you what I can but just...just please give it to me," he begged her, his voice almost cracking a bit.

At the sound of hearing her name leave Draco's mouth, her angry expression suddenly disappeared and she immediately felt ashamed for invading Draco's privacy in such a forceful way. She gently handed him the vial and as she did she noticed him let out a shaky breath before composing himself the best he could and sliding it back into the file.

The room became silent and very awkward before Draco finally cleared his throat. "So, uh, did you get your file too?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Uh, no, I couldn't, that disabling charm takes some time to use and by the time I grabbed yours people were in and out of the office. I'll just grab it another day," she said giving a small shrug.

He just gave a small nod. "Why aren't you at work?" he asked, gesturing to her outfit.

"Oh, Harry sent me home to try and sleep, but-" she gave a giant yawn." But I just can't seem to get any. He told me to take the day off tomorrow also, so I guess getting my file will have to wait.

"Well, you do kind of look like hell," he smirked.

"Gee, thanks, " she said with a smile. "Listen Draco, I'm sorry about your file, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, just drop it," he said with a bit of annoyance.

She nodded. "So Listen, that day I found out about Blaise, that guy Chamberlain was bringing his file back into Harry's office. If that case was closed, then I think they are reopening it ever since the Hogsmeade incident." she finished with a glance at him to see how he would react to the news.

He didn't say anything, he just sat there staring off into space, but she could tell he was listening to her.

"Draco, I thought you wanted to reopen this case, isn't that a good thing?"

He just lightly scoffed. "Yeah, I guess."

Ginny didn't say anything for a few moments and then her eyes fell on the file in front of her. "That's...not the case file you wanted to be reopened...there's something else, isn't there?"

Draco got up suddenly and flicked his wand to start a fresh fire and then took a seat beside Ginny and turned to her with a serious look. "I'm going to give you some answers"

Taken aback by his sudden urge to tell her some of his darkest secrets and apparently memories, she locked eyes with him and waited for the information he was about to give her.

"After the war, we, of course, did all the interviews and tried to have our name cleared and all that rubbish you already know. We had started getting death threats and letters from a lot of different people, but it was nothing we hadn't seen before. There was an incident here and there when I had gone out and got into a few arguments with people and then it started to turn into fighting and some near death attempts. Anyway, there was a period of time where I thought it had all stopped and I drowned out all of the bullshit and just tried to live my life. There was...a really good friend I knew that helped me through some shit and one night we were out just having a bit of fun and..." he stopped, his gaze fell on the burning fire before him as he got lost in his words.

Ginny gently placed a hand on his knee to get his attention again. "And what?" she whispered.

He turned to look at her hand and then up at her. He watched the flames dancing off the reflection of her honey brown eyes and how it illuminated the ginger strands of her hair that fell around her pale face.

"And then they were killed, right in front of me. We were caught off guard and there was a group of people that came out of nowhere and everything was a blur. I...I couldn't...get" he stopped again and hung his head as the memories filled his mind.

Ginny wanted to grab him and hug him at the horrid story he told her, but she wanted to hear what else happened and refrained from doing so.

Draco cleared his throat quickly and continued. "Anyway, I was so desperate for revenge I sought the help of Blaise to track these guys down. Potter was doing everything he could to help catch these guys, but he had to follow certain rules and I didn't want to. My mother and father even tried to get involved and one night it was my mother and Blaise with me when we were caught off guard once more and they murdered Blaise that night...I ended up getting this." he said gesturing to a small scar under his neck. "And my mother...she was almost killed before Aurors arrived, but she was in St. Mungo's for a little while before she could return home. Then after a few weeks Potter suddenly closed the case and refused to open it again, but that didn't stop me from still trying to find out everything and anything that I could. Eventually, I had nothing to go on anymore and now here we are." he finished with a heavy sigh and ran his hand over his face to try and wipe any kind of emotion from it.

"That vial of memories... is it of Blaise's murder?"

"Not his, but they have those ones too, they are just copies so they could further investigate them. Most memory vials from the Ministry, especially in cases like these don't necessarily need a Pensieve to view them... if you open it...they will suck you in. I lost track of how many times I had to relive that moment." he whispered, more to himself.

"Do you have any idea who these people are?"

"Not exactly, I've seen their faces... but there is only one face that sticks out clear as day in my mind."

"What exactly do you want to achieve? Revenge?" Ginny asked, hoping he would say no.

"I want them dead," he said angrily.

Ginny just watched his facial expression for a few moments, she could tell whatever happened in the past had completely ruined him.

They were both quiet for a while and then Ginny scooted closer to him. "I'll help you find them Draco...but...I don't want to kill anyone, I just want justice for the people they've taken from you. Azkaban is a place worse than death and if I can help put Blaise's killer there, then I'm happy to help. I'm hearing what you want out of this, but taking a life is never easy, no matter how much they've wronged you."

He just stared at her as she spoke; she could tell he disagreed with her.

"You do what you think you need to do, but that's where I stand...so what do you say? Obviously, the Ministry isn't doing what needs to be done and you're a prisoner in your own home because of these people... it's not right," she said the last part with some anger.

Draco's mind went back to that day Harry asked him not to get Ginny involved and he knew why he didn't want her to be. He knew the consequences that followed whenever this case was further investigated. It wasn't like they were going off on a manhunt anytime soon so he didn't see the harm in her stealing some more files and having them look at some evidence.

"Alright, Weaslette."

"Well, since your not willing to tell me everything or SHOW me anything," she said nodding towards his case file. "I'm sure we could start by looking through this," she said, pulling out Blaise's file from her pocket and enlarging it.

Before Draco could grab it Ginny quickly snatched it up in her hands again. "Don't think I'm going to help you while you keep me in the dark about everything," she said firmly.

He sneered at her comment and then waved his hand out for her to open the file. "Fine, go ahead, however, Weasley, you're not going to want to see everything in that file," he warned her.

She locked eyes with him for a few moments and then turned her attention to Blaise's file and opened it up. She scanned through a couple of papers that were just information on Blaise and statements his parents had given to the Ministry. There was the death certificate that Ginny had seen that day in Harry's office which she quickly scanned over and her eyes fell on the cause of death.

"Multiple stab wounds?" Ginny whispered to herself with a furrowed brow and then turned to Draco. "They didn't use magic when they killed him?" she said sounding surprised, but angry at the new information.

"Nope," Draco answered with a heavy sigh.

"That makes no sense, why wouldn't they? It's cleaner and fewer chances of there being any evidence left behind," she said, shaking her head as she tried to understand the reasoning behind it.

"That's nothing I haven't already thought about, Weasley," he snapped.

She just ignored his comment and kept going through the papers. "Look at this," she said suddenly with some excitement. "There's an address here and...ooohh, jackpot, look at this, a picture of a potential suspect," she said, holding up the picture to show Draco.

He quickly snatched it from her and looked at the photo of the young man.

"Does he look familiar Draco?"

Draco started to shake his head. "No, he doesn't."

"I guess these are other suspects that they ruled out?" Ginny suggested, holding out the pictures to Draco where there was a red slash through each one.

"So this guy must be their next one to look into...but this is dated a while ago. Why haven't they ruled him out yet?" Draco asked more to himself.

"Maybe they haven't looked into it yet."

Draco didn't say anything, he just kept staring at the picture until Ginny finally snatched it from his hand.

"We should go pay this guy a visit ourselves; there's an address right here," Ginny pointed out again.

"No, WE shouldn't do anything and you look like bloody hell, so maybe you should go get some sleep before anymore investigating."

Ginny let out a huge yawn and then pulled herself up off the couch. She grabbed her head in pain as a strong throbbing sensation ran through it. "Ugh, I would love to get some rest if these damn headaches would go away." she hissed in pain.

"Probably from another night of drinking and sex with strangers." Draco teased with a slight sneer as he picked up one of the pictures from Blaise's file.

Ginny picked a pillow up from the couch and threw it hard at him, making him drop the paper to the floor and his hair to stick all out of place.

"What the hell, Weasley," he snapped.

"What kind of person do you think I am?" She said watching him look up at her and getting ready to answer with something sarcastic. "Just shut up and no, I don't go out screwing guys every night you dick"

He just shrugged, "If you say so."

Ginny just smirked at his comment and then sat down beside him and gently put her hand on his leg, making him stop what he was doing and look at her funny. "Would that...bother you Draco?" she whispered.

"Would what bother me?"

"If I was out every night having hot...pleasurable...downright dirty sex with someone." she seductively said as she moved her face closer to his and slid her hand higher up his thigh.

He moved his face even closer to hers and had a giant smirk on it. "Why the hell would that bother me, Weasley?"

"Good, because I do"

"WHAT?" he said loudly to her response.

"Relax, I'm just kidding." she laughed as she threw herself back against the couch into a fit of laughter. "You get so uncomfortable, it's quite hilarious actually...I love it."

"Fuck off, Weasley, your just a fuckin weirdo honestly."

"Well, that's what you get for being an asshole," she said through her laughter. "Anyway, come walk me out." she giggled out as she made her way towards the door.

"Ginny?" he said suddenly, his tone serious.

She turned around to see him walking towards her. "Oh, first name basis?" she teased.

"I really appreciate you getting me this file... I know you risked a lot to get it, so thanks." he quietly said as he turned his attention to the floor.

"Wow, a genuine thank you, I'm impressed, didn't think you had that in you," she said with a small giggle.

"Yeah, well don't get used to it," he said with a slight sneer and then walked past her into the hall.

Ginny started following him downstairs and kept on repeatedly yawning, she knew she really needed to catch up on some sleep. Every time she tried to rest, her mind would race with so many questions and have little to no answers was really hard for her to accept. She started hearing a loud ringing in her ears suddenly and became extremely light headed as she made her way towards the foyer.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, still here I see," came Narcissa's voice from the hall as she joined them at the top of the stairs.

"Relax, Mother, she was just leaving," Draco explained with a slight snarl.

"Well, I suppose since your here the proper thing to do would be to invite you to stay for dinner, however, I know you rather barge in and interrupt it instead if you'd like," Narcissa said sarcastically.

"Wow, some invite" Ginny mumbled to Draco. "Actually, I think I'm going..." she stopped talking as her own voice became muffled and the high pitch ringing in her ears started to make her head feel like it wanted to split open.

"Weasley?" Draco called out.

She grabbed her head and then rubbed her face to snap herself out of it. "Uh, sorry, I'm just really tired, I should be getting home. Uh, thanks anyway, Mrs. Malfoy" she said quickly.

Draco saw his mother give him an odd look and she nodded for him to walk her out. Ginny attempted to walk down the stairs, but her head was spinning and soon she felt her legs start to give out. She instinctively tried to reach out for the banister to keep herself from falling, but it was nowhere within reach. She felt someone grab her arm before her body toppled to ground and then she heard Draco's muffled voice saying something to her. She was looking up into a pair of mercury eyes staring down at her suddenly and she tried to say something but her mouth wouldn't move and instead, her eyes started to droop and she was engulfed in blackness.

Ginny opened her eyes and waited for her blurry vision to subside before taking in the room before her. The ceiling above her had beautiful carvings and the bed beneath her was the most comfortable thing she had ever slept on. She turned her head to the side and saw what looked like one the guest rooms she had seen on her hunt for the bathroom that one day at Malfoy Manor. She rubbed her eyes and started to sit up when she realized she was still in her work clothes and everything came rushing back to her. Before she could piece it all together there was a knock at the door, but she didn't say anything she just stared at the closed door until it opened.

"You're finally awake, I see"

"What happened?" she asked Narcissa as she stepped into the room.

"I could ask you that same thing; seems like you overexerted yourself, Miss Weasley...you passed out, probably from exhaustion," Narcissa explained, her tone cold.

"Oh, sorry, I should be getting home. I appreciate the dinner invite but I'll have to barge in some other time," she said casually.

"Miss Weasley, that was yesterday; its the next morning," Narcissa explained.

"WHAT?" she shouted, ripping the blankets off of herself and jumping out of bed. "Shit, shit, shit...my mum is going to be furious and she's probably worried sick," she finally found her shoes and slipped them on and then stopped and looked at the blonde before her. "Did you owl my parents?" she cautiously asked as she feared the answer.

"Why would I do that? Your an adult after all." Narcissa answered. She knew Ginny's parents would not be fond of her being at the Manor.

"Thank you, I'm so sorry I passed out in your house like some...some..." she couldn't get the words out, she was panicking about the entire situation and for the first time in a while she was somewhat embarrassed.

She quickly made her way downstairs and saw Draco walking towards her and she just shook her head.

"What the hell was all that about yesterday Weasley?" he asked, walking beside her as they descended the stairs.

"I'm sorry, I just haven't been sleeping and it finally caught up with me I guess." she shrugged before ripping the front door open and making her way towards the ward. She stopped before she walked through and turned back to Draco. "Thanks for catching me and making sure I didn't break my neck," she said with a slight smirk.

"It's the least I could do since you stole my file." he shrugged.

She went to turn and leave and then stopped once more. "Hey, Draco...do you want to come to Ron and Hermione's wedding with me?" she asked with some amusement in her voice as she knew how ridiculous the request sounded.

"Are you fuckin nuts, Weasley? Why the hell would I do that?" he scoffed.

"Just come, it will definitely be a good idea if your parents came also because Kingsley will be there sooo... maybe try to convince them?" she said with a quirked eyebrow.

"It would be a good time to sell this ridiculous act...I'll think about it." he decided

Ginny just shook her head. "I'll be back a little later and we can go check that place out."

"Wait, what? Today? You just passed out yesterday from sleep deprivation you crazy twit."

"Ok, first off, stop being dramatic and second, this isn't the first time I've passed out in life, sometimes people can't sleep so chill. I feel ten times better than I did before I was forced to snooze half a day away." she shrugged.

"If you say so, Weaslette."

"See ya, Draco," she said before walking through the wards and apparating back to the Burrow.

Ginny made sure to apparate into her bedroom so maybe by some small miracle her mother hadn't noticed she didn't come home last night. She landed with a small thud and quickly made her way over to her dresser to grab her pajamas. She didn't even have her shirt off yet when her bedroom door was flung open.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN, GINEVRA?" her mum shouted, a look of worry etched on her face.

"Mum, calm down, I'm sorry, I accidentally fell asleep at a friends house," Ginny explained, trying to calm her down.

Her father and Harry were soon in the doorway of her bedroom.

"Ginny, where were you? Why are you still in your work clothes?" Harry asked her.

"First off, why the hell are you always here? Do you like live here now?" Ginny snapped at him with annoyance.

"I hardly think that's the issue right now, Ginny, now where the hell were you?" her father demanded.

"I told mum, I was at a friends house, I accidentally fell asleep ok? Geez, you know I'm an adult and I don't have to tell you guys where I am every minute of the day." Ginny spat, attempting to walk past them.

"Your lying" Harry suddenly said loudly.

Ginny just stared at him, her eyes piercing into his with anger. "What do you mean I'm lying?" she asked, taking a step closer to him.

"You left work early yesterday and here you are still in your work clothes the next day? And what friends house were you at? You want to know what I think-"

"Nobody gives a shit what you think, Harry, and I don't care if any of you believe me," she said angrily, grabbing a change of clothes and stuffing them into a bag.

"I think you were at the Malfoys...AGAIN" he accused her, getting in her face.

"The Malfoys? Why would you be over there?" Molly asked, sounding shocked by the news.

"I wasn't, Harry, just likes to start shit."

"Ginny, you listen to me, as long as you are living under this roof you need to let me and your mother know where you are, that's all we are trying to say. You had us worried sick, so right now I don't care where you were, I just care that you are safe." Arthur explained, gently grabbing her shoulders and looking at her.

She looked up at her father. "Maybe its time I found my own place again," she said, before zippering up her bag and heading downstairs.

Her mother was behind her in an instant. "Ginny, don't say that, where are you going?" she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Anywhere but here right now," she said angrily before ripping open the back door.

Arthur stopped Molly from chasing after her and hugged her to him while she started sobbing from Ginny's rash decision. Harry made his way outside after her and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Ginny, what the hell has gotten into you lately?"

"Me? Why are you trying to start up something? Why don't you believe that I was at a friends house?"

"Because you don't have any friends, Gin," he said more gently so he wouldn't hurt her feelings.

She glared at him with a sneer on her face and looked him up and down. "Yeah...your right about that." she spat before she apparated out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what are your thoughts? I know a large part of this chapter was the conversation between Ginny and Draco so sorry if it bored some of you. Also the next chapter will definitely feature some Drinny moments. Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here is the next chapter! Sorry if it took so long. Hope you all enjoy it!

As soon as Ginny's feet hit the ground she felt the anger rising inside her from the argument she just had with her parents. She knew she may have overreacted a bit, but the fact that she knew they were all keeping something from her made her that much angrier. Sure she didn't even know what was in her file, it could very well be info based off of her first year at Hogwarts and the Chamber of Secrets. She doubted that though, not with how those people knew who she was.

She threw her bag down on the floor and leaned against a nearby tree and slid down to the ground. She felt horrible for making her mother upset like that and she wanted to go home right now and apologize. She buried her face in her knees and realized she was still in her work clothes from yesterday and pulled her bag over to her to see what clothes she did manage to bring. So far the highlight of her day was the fact that she somehow was lucky enough to pack a full set of clean clothes in her moment of rage.

Draco was looking at Blaise's file and kept looking at the suspect he and Ginny were going to "investigate" today, but he still was unsure about having her come. He definitely understood why Harry was so angry about her getting mixed up in all of it and if something did happen to her he would have to answer for it...well that's how he felt anyway. Why did he even care what happened to her anyway, she can make her own decisions he decided. He was pulled from his thoughts when there was a knock on the door and he quickly shrunk the file and put it away.

He opened the door to see his mother standing outside of it and he just looked at her. "Well, what do you want?"

Narcissa folded her arms and gave a long sigh. "She's here again, outside of the wards."

"Who?"

"Who do you think Draco? Your little girlfriend." Narcissa snapped.

"Oh please, Mother, that's disgusting. What does she want?" he asked curiously; he wasn't expecting her to be back so soon.

"Nothing yet, she's just sitting out there." she shrugged.

They both looked at each other for a moment. "Ok...I guess I'll go find out since I'm assuming that's why your up here."

"Very good, Draco, its good to know your brain is still working after hanging out with your new found friend." she drawled as she walked down the hall.

He made his way outside and started walking towards the edge of the wards when he saw the mass of red hair gently blowing around her buried face. He hadn't realized he was staring at her for longer than he cared to admit and finally walked through the ward and stood in front of her slumped form. She lifted her head to look at him and just gave a groan and buried her face once more.

"Back so soon?" he teased.

"I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled. "Can I just crash here for a few hours, we have that place to check out anyway," she said, getting up and throwing her bag over her shoulder.

"Well, you know how welcomed you are here, I hardly doubt it will be an issue," he said with a smirk.

"Your such a prick," she laughed, hitting him lightly on the arm.

They started walking back up to his room in silence when Ginny finally spoke. "I had an argument with my parents...and Harry, he's such a bloody jerk," she said angrily.

Draco had a giant smirk on his face at hearing her call Harry a jerk. "And why is Potter a bloody jerk?"

"Because he thinks I was here all night and he won't believe me when I told him I wasn't," she explained.

"But...you were here," he said with a raised eyebrow.

She just looked at him, "Just...just shut up, Malfoy," she snapped before storming off ahead of him into his bedroom.

He walked in after her and saw her making her way to the bathroom. "I'm going to take a quick shower and then we can go," she said as she kicked her shoes off and headed inside.

"Well, there's a guest-" he was cut off by the sound of his bathroom door slamming shut. "...bathroom down the hall" he finished in an agitated mumble.

"Well, well, Draco, I must say, your rather social these days, awfully friendly with the Weasley girl too." Lucius drawled from the doorway with Narcissa by his side.

Draco just threw his hands up in frustration. "I-I...don't even know what to say anymore because SHE DOES WHATEVER SHE WANTS ANYWAY!" he yelled out towards the bathroom door before pushing past his parents and heading downstairs.

Narcissa started to laugh at her son's frustration and then turned to Lucius, "If she's going to be on his nerves to the point it will keep him out of his room then she can come around anytime."

"It is rather pleasurable to see him squirm a bit after all that back talk he's constantly giving us," Lucius said with a smirk before they both went off in search of Draco.

It had been about an hour since Draco stormed off and was making his way back to his bedroom. He opened the door to find Ginny wasn't in the bedroom, but still in the bathroom with the door cracked. He made his way over towards it to see how much longer she would be when he stopped and saw she was brushing her hair. He just stood there for a few moments watching her brush it and then he mentally kicked himself for getting distracted by something so ridiculous. He pushed the door opened and grabbed the brush from her and threw it aside.

"Your done, it looks fine, that mop is a lost cause," he snapped angrily. "Now are we going or what?"

"You know I could have been naked," she said turning to look at him.

"Yeah with the door open?"

"It was foggy in here, I needed some air." she snapped back.

"And now you have your nasty hair all over the bathroom," he said with a snarl as he looked around the bathroom.

Ginny just rolled her eyes, "Oh chill, I'll clean it up and there's not that much." she said, also looking around the bathroom. "I'll clean your brush too," she gestured over to the brush Draco had grabbed from her and threw aside.

Draco just stood there with his mouth open for a moment and started to breathe heavily as he filled with anger. "MY BRUSH? SERIOUSLY, WEASLEY? MY BLOODY FUCKIN BRUSH?" he yelled as he picked it up and sneered at the pieces of ginger hair that were entangled in it.

"Oh, my gosh, calm down you fricken drama queen," she said, grabbing the brush and waving her wand to clean it. "There, good as new," she said with a smile before leaving the bathroom.

"You know-"

"Are we going or what? What about your parents? They are going to know your gone." she quickly cut him off before he could start complaining again.

He just glared at her for a moment before answering her. "They are going to visit Blaise's parents so that won't be an issue."

"Alright, well, here's the address, lead the way," she said, holding out her hand for him to take.

Fighting the urge to grab her by her hair instead, he decided to grab her wrist and roughly pulled her in as they apparated to the potential suspect's house.

They both hit the ground hard and Ginny started to feel wetness on her face as it started to drizzle where they were. She looked around her and saw a few houses that looked abandoned and then looked at the address on the paper and then to the house closest to her. She soon realized they were about a block away from their destination and then turned to Draco, who was already walking towards the house without her.

"It's ok, don't wait for me or anything," she said sarcastically as she ran ahead to catch up with him.

"Well stop playing in the rain, let's go," he snapped.

Ginny opened her mouth to say something, but she just balled her fists tightly instead and resisted the urge to punch him in the back of the head. They walked in silence for a while until they were almost in front of the house when Ginny grabbed him by the arm to stop him.

"What exactly are you going to do once you see this guy? You don't even know if he is a legit suspect."

"I don't care, I'm going to make him talk, I'm sure he'll have some information," Draco said pulling his arm free from her grip.

"Last time you went blindly into a fight we were outnumbered and nearly killed, but I'm sure this approach will work just fine," she said sarcastically, waving her hand for him to keep going.

Ignoring her comment, he walked towards the front door with her close behind him and just as Ginny went to knock on the door Draco kicked it in.

"WHAT THE HELL DRACO?" she yelled at him as he already made his way inside.

"There's no time to waste with these people, now get your wand out," he ordered her, his tone firm.

She did as she was told and followed close behind him, they both looked around the house and soon realized it was also abandoned. There was hardly any furniture and the place was dusty and filled with cobwebs. They were both silent as they looked around the entire house and eventually made their way upstairs. The staircase was barely being held together and a lot of the upstairs floorboards were missing in random spots. She saw Draco make his way into one of the bedrooms, leaving her in the hallway.

"Okkkk, I guess I'll just CHECK THIS OTHER ROOM OUT THEN!" she yelled out to him as he walked out of sight.

She turned around to make her way into the room when she came face to face with their potential suspect. His wand was pointed right at her and his finger was over his lips to instruct her to keep quiet. He nodded for her to walk into the room and as she did, he closed the door most of the way and led her to the corner of the room.

He quickly put his hand roughly over her mouth and pinned her against the wall. "You make the tiniest of peeps and I'll gut you, do you understand?" he whispered in her ear as he pulled out a small knife and held it up to show her.

She quickly nodded and he slowly removed his hand from her mouth. He turned his head and peeked through the crack in the door to make sure Draco was still in the other room and as he did Ginny went to bring her wand hand up to attempt to disarm the man, but he was faster than she gave him credit for. He swung his hand and slapped her hard across the face that she stumbled back, but he grabbed her shirt firmly before her body could hit against anything.

"WEASLEY?" came Draco's voice from across the hall. "YOU FIND ANYTHING IN THERE OR ARE YOU JUST FUCKIN AROUND?"

Ginny was more pissed than anything at the position she was in and went against every order the man gave her. "DRACO, HE'S IN-" she was cut off by another backhand to her face and this time her body hit the floor.

She made sure she had a firm grip on her wand as he grabbed her legs and pulled her towards him with his knife in hand. She felt the flimsy floorboards beneath her and she quickly said a Reducto curse behind her back and suddenly she and the man that was halfway on top of her fell through the floor and down to the lower level. Ginny scrambled to get up and tried to make out her surroundings as the dust filled the air. She was coughing violently as she tried to call out for Draco and she soon made out the platinum blond hair across the room. She quickly made a sprint over to him when she saw someone else get to him before she could.

Finally getting to his side, she saw him and the guy they were looking for going at it. Draco repeatedly punched him and Ginny noticed the man reaching for his knife when she ran over and quickly pushed Draco off of him to avoid him getting cut. The man quickly jumped to his feet and had his wand in one hand and a knife in the other, ready to lunge at either of them that came to close.

"You shouldn't have come here Draco... you know we are always a step ahead of you," the man said with a smirk.

"WHERE IS HE? TELL ME NOW OR I SWEAR I'LL FUCKIN KILL YOU!" Draco bellowed in anger.

The man just laughed and then turned to Ginny. "And you...I'm surprised to see you alive, didn't think you made it."

Ginny and Draco exchanged a quick look and she was anxious to learn more about what he was talking about.

"And then to show up with this guy of all people?" the man scoffed in disgust. "Trying to help him? Have you forgotten about your dead brother...hmm what was his name...Fred?"

"Shut the fuck up, she has nothing to do with this, just tell me what I want to know," Draco growled in anger as he tightened the grip on his wand.

Ginny just stood there with a blank expression as he continued to speak. "You do realize that this man FOLLOWED VOLDEMORT...THAT HE WAS ON THE SAME SIDE AS THE PEOPLE THAT MURDERED YOUR BROTHER," he yelled out to Ginny. "I mean... you might as well have just killed him yourself, don't you think?" he started laughing.

Ginny went to jump on top of him when the entire house started to shake. Draco quickly ran to her side and soon they saw the floor starting to fall out from underneath them.

"I told you we would always be a step ahead," the man said with a menacing tone before quickly bringing the knife up and slitting his own throat so Draco couldn't try to find out any information from him.

Draco and Ginny quickly started running towards the front yard of the house as the ground beneath them started crumbling. It was pouring rain at this point and the ground started to become muddy and slippery as they attempted to make a run for it. Just as Draco felt the earth disappear under his feet, he quickly grabbed Ginny's hand and apparated back to the Manor.

As soon as Ginny felt her feet hit the floor of Draco's bedroom her mind went back to those horrid words she had to hear. She thought of Fred and how she felt guilty for not mourning him like she should have and how she took it out on George. She felt her chest tighten and her breathing start to pick up as a flood of emotions started to fill her and she was not prepared to deal with them right now. She heard the muffled sounds of Draco going off about the encounter they just had.

"...and how did he know all of that? It's like he knew we were coming or something...but how?" he said more to himself than to Ginny. Although he wasn't waiting for a response from her, he did notice she wasn't saying anything and he looked over to see her across the room lost in her thoughts. "Are you ok?" he asked walking over to her and taking in the welt marks on her face.

Ginny just looked up at him; they were both soaked from the rain and she felt a slight shiver run through her. She just kept seeing the look on George's face that day she yelled at him in Harry's office, she kept thinking about the file in Harry's office and why her medical records were locked up. Most of all she thought about how she was in the dark about it all and was still not getting all the answers.

"Weasley, are you ok?" he walked closer to her as she just continued to stare at him, her face had a look of panic on it.

Before Draco could say another word he suddenly felt Ginny's lips against his and he quickly grabbed her arms and pushed her back.

"Whoa, what the hell are you doing, Weasley?" he asked her, as a look of shock covered his face by her sudden action.

"I'M SORRY OK, I JUST DON'T WANT TO FEEL WHATEVER IT IS I'M FEELING RIGHT NOW... I just can't do it... I don't want to do it. I want to feel anything else but this right now." she finished in almost a whisper, her voice cracking a bit as she stared into those silver orbs.

Draco just looked at her, he could feel the wetness on his lips from where she just kissed him as he thought about what she said. He knew exactly how she felt, being out there...outside of the manor looking for the people who were responsible for destroying his life was more than he could handle right now. He hated showing any kind of emotion when it came to this situation and he wasn't about to sort through those feelings in front of Ginny.

Deciding he couldn't bear the thought of reliving those horrid memories, he took one last look into those honey brown eyes and crashed his lips into hers. He kissed her with such force she stumbled back a bit, but his grip on her arms held her close to him. He felt her hands travel up to his face as she roughly ran one through his hair and pulled him closer to her and the other around his neck. He felt her kisses intensify and her grip on him tighten as he placed a hand on the small of her back and another entangled in her fiery hair.

Ginny soon felt her back against the bedpost and she suddenly felt Draco slip her shirt off as she savagely ripped his off as well. It was like they both couldn't get undressed fast enough as they moved closer to his bed. She just wanted him to take her mind to another place, anywhere else but where it was a few moments ago.

She whipped his belt off wildly and then started pulling her own pants off; both of their hands were all over the place trying to undress the other. Ginny felt him lean harder against her as she was pinned to the post of the bed and then she felt him pick her up and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. She gave a small frustrated growl as she grew impatient for him to enter her and as soon as it left her mouth he was inside her.

Draco couldn't help the forceful way he stripped her of her clothes and grabbed her to him, which she seemed to enjoy by her small moans of pleasure. Once he was inside her he became more lost at the moment and threw her roughly on the bed and he was on top of her. He was surprised when she suddenly rolled him onto his back and she was on top of him now. She continuously pounded down on him and then threw herself forward to catch his lips once more. He felt her hair tickling his chest as she lightly bit his lip making him grab her hips and pull her down harder onto him until she let out another pleasurable moan against his lips.

His hands traveled up to her bra and quickly unclasped it before she sat up on top of him and pulled it off letting her fiery strands lay against her perky chest. Draco sat up and started kissing her breast and neck as he continuously grinded into her and felt himself nearing his climax. He knew she was close as well as she picked up the pace of her rocking hips and welcomed his fast forceful erection. He felt her orgasm around his now erupting cock as she threw her head back in pleasure and let out a loud moan of satisfaction.

Ginny leaned forward and gave him one last fierce kiss, letting her wild mane fall around his face and head. She felt him finish and soon all movement and breathing slowed down and she gave a small laugh against his lips and received a small smirk in response from Draco. She rolled off of him onto her back and they both just lay there in silence while their breathing started to return to normal. They both had gotten lost in their thoughts for a few minutes before either of them spoke.

"I told my parents I'm moving out," Ginny suddenly said, turning her head to look at him.

He turned to look at her; her red strands falling across her exposed chest. "Why?"

She just shrugged. "I don't know... I was just angry at the moment I guess."

"So are you going to?"

"Move out? No," she said in a defeated tone and then exchanged a small laugh with Draco. "Nah, I'm going back... I mean, unless you want me to just move in here. I think your mum would definitely be on board with that." she joked.

They both laughed and then became silent once more.

"So, have you given any more thought about coming to the wedding?" Ginny asked, as she slipped off the bed and threw her shirt over her head.

"Wow, pushy, you realize you just asked me this morning," he said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Ok...and?" she said waiting for a reply as she searched the floor for her underwear.

"That's going to be awkward, I mean, do you really want me to ruin your brother's wedding day by showing up?" he asked in amusement.

She just shrugged, "Well, it will definitely make things more interesting," she joked as she reached under the bed and found her panties. "Wow, thanks for that," she said sarcastically, holding up her underwear that had been ripped from their aggressive attempts at undressing each other.

She waved her wand and quickly mended them before slipping the rest of her clothes on. She made her way into the bathroom and started brushing her hair as Draco grabbed his clothes and threw them on. His mind wasn't on the fact that he just fucked the brains out of the Weaslette, it was on the previous events that took place at the suspect's house they went to check out. He looked at Ginny in the bathroom and once again, she was using his brush to tame her wild hair and he just shook his head in defeat. He sat down on the couch and slouched down as he waved his wand to start a fire.

Ginny joined him shortly after and just watched him become lost in his thoughts. "Listen, we need to really go through your file, Draco. I know you don't want me to see what's in there, but there has got to be something in there that could help us figure out how the hell these people keep knowing where you're going to be," she explained, already waiting for him to fight her on it.

She was surprised when he just started to nod his head. "I know, but...I'm...just not yet," he said softly.

She gave a small nod and then got up and started heading towards the door. "I guess I should get back home and patch things up with my parents...walk me out?" she asked from the doorway.

He got up and started walking with her down towards the foyer, the whole time he thought back to the conversation that took place back at the abandoned house about Ginny. She didn't seem like she was as curious to know how these people knew more about her than she did, but he also knew she buried everything deep down. They finally reached the front doors when he decided to question her about it, but before he could she started speaking.

"So the wedding is this weekend, I'm going to talk to Hermione and Ron about bringing you along and definitely bring those delightful parents of yours." she teased.

He just gave a half laugh at her comment and decided not to bring his previous question up at the moment.

"Maybe after the wedding, I'll take you to my secret spot," she said playfully.

"Uh"

"Not like that you perv, like take you to that place I keep having all my wild nights out...I call it Pristine Point, but honestly, people call it whatever they want because it's their own getaway place. I'll tell you more about it sometime, but I really have to get going, see ya, Draco." she said with a quick wave goodbye as she walked past the wards and apparated back home.

Ginny just stood outside a few feet from the back porch just looking at the setting sunlight on the Burrow. She gave a long sigh before deciding to finally make her way inside and was surprised to see nobody in the kitchen. She made her way over to the living room where she saw her mum on the couch knitting and her father and of course Harry playing a game of chess. She just stood in the doorway watching them until finally Harry looked up and noticed her standing there.

"Ginny," he called out softly."Your back?"

"Oh, Ginny, dear, thank heavens your alright." Molly cried out, getting up and grabbing her into a hug.

"Mum, please, I was gone for a few hours, I'm fine," she mumbled out as her mother hugged her even tighter.

"I guess you're not moving out after all?" Harry asked with a bit of a smirk on his face.

Ginny wanted to slap it right off of his face after his smug comment, but instead she just squirmed out of her mother's embrace and started to climb the stairs.

"GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK, GINBUG," Arthur called up to her as she disappeared into her bedroom upstairs.

She slammed her door closed and just plopped on her bed and looked at the ceiling. There was a knock on the door and she didn't even answer it, she already knew it was Harry that came up to check on her.

"Gin?" he called out as he opened the door a crack and stuck his head in.

After he saw she was just laying there he walked in and sat on the bed beside her.

"What do you want, Harry?" she said with a frustrated sigh.

"What I want is for you to be ok," he said, looking at her with a smile.

She just looked at him."I'm fine," she said, throwing her head back onto her pillow.

He gently grabbed her hand and cupped it in his. "Gin, I left work early today as soon as your parents said you never came home last night, they were really worried and so was I. I'm not trying to pry into your business or tell you what you should and shouldn't do, but I will always make sure that you are ok," he said, giving her hand a light squeeze.

She sat up in front of him and just gave a small smile. Sometimes Harry made it so hard to stay angry at him, she could tell he really cared a great deal about her, but there was no way he had feelings for her again...or still? Did he even ever stop having them? She noticed Harry's actions towards her lately were a lot more affectionate than they have been.

She finally gave him a small nod and he pulled her into a tight hug. The way Harry always held her lately was so gentle, but there was always a protective firmness to it that somehow always made her feel safe. She still loved Harry, of course, she probably always will with how much history they have, but things changed for them along the way. She couldn't even remember anymore what started the downfall of their relationship, she just knew it was turning more into a friendship than they thought it would.

She pulled back from the hug after a few moments and she locked eyes with him, his face was so close to hers she could feel his breath against her lips. She thought for a moment he was about to kiss her when he suddenly looked away and cleared his throat.

"Uh, so anyway...I uh...I need to get going." he stammered for words as he quickly got up from the bed and neared her door.

"Oh, uh, yeah," she agreed, as she looked all around the room but his face to avoid the obvious awkwardness of the moment they just had.

"I'll uh... see you tomorrow, right?" he asked as he stood in the doorway.

"Yeah, at work, of course, I'll be there." she quickly answered.

"Ok, good...great...I'll see ya then. Bye, Gin" he said before closing her door behind him.

She let out a long breath that she had been holding in and threw herself back on the bed. "See ya, Harry," she mumbled to herself before closing her eyes and dozing off.

Ginny woke up the next morning and apologized to her parents over breakfast before she headed to work. She felt horrible for making them worried and upset like that, but she also couldn't help being a bit annoyed by how much they had to know where she was every minute of every day. She was approaching Harry's office when she heard her name being called and turned to see Chamberlain walking towards her.

"Good Morning, Ginny, how are you feeling?" he asked, with a bright smile.

"Oh, hey, Will, how am I feeling?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I had stopped by yesterday to see if you wanted to grab lunch, but Mr. Potter had said you were out for the day," he explained.

"Oh, I'm fine, thanks," she said, turning towards the office door.

"Well, if I may...I was wondering if I could take you to lunch this afternoon?"

Ginny turned to look at him; she couldn't help the small smile that formed. "Uh, sure"

"Perfect, I'll be by around noon," he said happily. "Oh, here, let me get that for you," he said as he reached forward and opened the office door for her.

"Thanks," Ginny mumbled before watching him wave a quick goodbye and head down the hall.

She turned to walk inside and stopped when she saw Cho sitting behind Harry's desk.

"Good Morning, Ginny, how are you feeling today?" she said with a smile.

Ginny just rolled her eyes at her, "Well, I was feeling better until I got here...now I'm just sick to my stomach" she said sarcastically as she plopped down in the chair in front of her. "Why are you here?" she asked more angrily than she intended.

"Oh, Harry asked me to come in yesterday to help with some paperwork because you weren't feeling well. I came in this morning in case you were still-"

"I'm fine," she quickly cut her off. "You can go now"

"Good morning ladies" came Harry's voice from the doorway. "Hey, Gin, I wasn't sure if you were coming back today or if you needed some more rest," he explained putting his bag down.

"Harry, can I speak to you...alone?" Ginny said through clenched teeth.

"Uh, sure," he said, turning to look at her.

Ginny turned her head towards Cho, "Well, get out" she snapped.

"THAT'S...not necessary, Cho...Ginny, let's go out in the hall," he said grabbing her arm and dragging her along. Once they were out in the hall he turned to Ginny. "What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem? I'm out for one day and you're already replacing me?" she said angrily.

"I'm not replacing you, I needed the extra help, and she's just filling in when you're not here." he tried to explain, gently grabbing her shoulders.

Ginny just shook her head in annoyance. "Well, I'm here today, so get rid of her."

"Get rid of her? She's not a dog."

Ginny just scoffed at his comment. "Could have fooled me," she mumbled.

He just gave her a stern look.

"Listen, I'm sorry ok, I'll try to be nicer to her."

"Thanks," he said with a small smile and then pulled her to him for a quick hug. "We are meeting your parents for lunch later if you want to join?"

"No thanks, I'm all set," she said sarcastically. "Besides that Chamberlain guy asked me to go to lunch," she said, waving her hand like it wasn't a big deal.

"Oh, and you said yes?" he asked.

"Yeah why not, he's quite charming," she smirked at him.

"I guess," Harry mumbled, before walking back into his office.

Noon finally came and Chamberlain met Ginny at Harry's office and they headed out to lunch. He took her to a small diner on one of the corner streets of Diagon Alley and they made their way over to a table where he pulled out the seat for her.

"Thanks," she said with a light laugh.

"What's so funny?" he asked, taking a seat across from her.

"You're just so..."

"So?"

"Polite, I'm not used to it," she said with a smile.

He started laughing, "Well, would you rather be an asshole?"

"Maybe," she said playfully.

"So, tell me about yourself, why are you working at the Ministry?"

"Honestly, I hate talking about me, but to answer your other question...I'm just killing time I guess." she shrugged.

"Killing time?"

She gave a long sigh, "I used to play Professional Quidditch, but I stopped playing for whatever reason and then I've just kind of been trying to figure out what I want to do."

He just nodded.

"I know, its lame, but it is what it is," she said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Quidditch, huh? Why did you stop playing again?"

"I...I don't even know, honestly," she said more to herself. She thought about her file suddenly and thought about how she couldn't remember anything about why she stopped playing. She knew she had gotten sick, but why didn't she go back to it? She looked up to see him watching her. "I, um... I was sick in the hospital and wasn't able to play again at the time, anyway can we switch the subject?" she quickly asked.

"Of course, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Oh no, it's fine, I'm not, I just miss it is all." she waved her hand to dismiss the conversation.

They were both quiet for a few moments.

"So, what were you doing with Draco Malfoy that day I stopped you's here in Diagon Alley?" he asked suddenly.

She just looked at him.

"Sorry, is that conversation off limits as well?" he asked with a smile.

"No, its fine," she giggled. "We were just grabbing some lunch, our families need to play nice so my father can get this-"

"Promotion? Ah, yes, Kingsley did mention that a few weeks ago. So how's that going?"

Ginny thought back to the events that took place in Draco's bedroom yesterday and she bit her lip. "Uh...great," she said with a giant smile.

"So are you and him...together?"

"What? Oh no, not at all." she quickly said, shaking her head at the very thought of it.

"Oh, alright, well in that case...would it be alright if I asked you out sometime?" he asked.

"Like on a date?" she asked, already knowing what he meant, but was surprised he was asking.

"Yes, like a date." he laughed.

"Oh, um...yes," she said, thinking back to the moment she shared with Harry yesterday in her bedroom.

"Wonderful, I look forward to it," he said with a handsome smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so what did you think? There was finally some Drinny action. I know I'm not the greatest at writing sex scenes but hopefully you enjoyed it. Do you guys like reading more detailed sex scenes, like more naughty? Or do you like how its a bit scaled back? Your thoughts? Please tell me what you all think so far!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys! Here is the next chapter! It is longer than some of the past ones. I hope you like it!

Ginny made her way downstairs the next morning dressed and ready for work and was surprised to see Ron and Hermione there. She gave a quick glance at Harry, who was here as always before work and she took a seat beside him before giving her brother and Hermione a quick hug hello.

"So guys, you excited about the wedding?" she asked, grabbing a piece of toast and buttering it.

"I am, but Ronald here hasn't had dry palms in three days," Hermione said, with more concern than amusement.

Ginny and Harry gave a quick snicker as Ron glared at them angrily.

"I can't help it, I'm nervous as bloody hell," he whined.

"Nervous about what, dear? You're marrying the woman you love and you've been friends for ages," Molly chimed in, placing a plate of freshly scrambled eggs on the table.

"That's not what I'm nervous about, it's standing in front of all those people and then having to dance in front of them and-"

"Well, Harry will be up there with you; he's your best man so he'll hold your sweaty hand," Ginny teased making Harry and Hermione laugh.

Ron went to open his mouth with some kind of comeback when Hermione cut him off. "Speaking of Harry being a best man... I know someone who is my maid of honor and STILL hasn't decided on a dress. You do realize the wedding is in a few days?" she lectured Ginny.

"Oh, no worries, I already have something picked out," she said, waving her hand as she received a pleased smile from Hermione.

Soon Arthur entered the kitchen and took a seat at the table after his hello's to everyone and was welcomed by Molly placing a big plate of food in front of him. "Discussing final wedding plans are we?" he said cheerfully as he dug into his food.

"Yes, we are all done with the seating finally, after some last minute guests," Hermione said.

"Speaking of last-minute guests," Ginny chimed in. "I was wondering if I can bring a plus one?" she asked casually, taking a bite of her toast.

Hermione had a giant smile on her face, "Oh a wedding date?That's interesting, of course you can, who is it?" she asked in anticipation.

Ginny felt Harry's eyes on her, "Yeah, Gin, who is it? Is it William?" he said the last part more sarcastically than he intended.

She just turned to glare at him.

"Ah, William Chamberlain? He is a very nice man, he's been at the Ministry for a short time, but he is rather...how do the ladies describe it? Charming?" Arthur said playfully.

Ginny just gave her a dad a small smirk and then turned back to Hermione. "Actually...it's Draco," she said.

The entire room became silent.

"HELLLL NO!" Ron yelled.

"Ron, stop it," Hermione said, slapping him lightly on the arm. "Um, why Draco?"

Ginny turned to see Harry staring at her, his expression more curious than hurt or angry.

"Well, Kingsley will be there and I thought we should maybe invite them to...you know, show face?" she finished, looking at her dad to see his reaction.

"Well, I suppose it is a good idea, Ginny, what do you think Ron?" Hermione said, turning to her fiancé.

Ron was about to go off on a rant when he stopped to look at his parents and then to his father. He just started to shake his head in annoyance. "If...if it's going to help out dad then...I guess its fine." he finished, turning to look at Hermione, who placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"Alright, well it's time we all got to work, see you there, yes?" Arthur said as he got up from the table and said his goodbyes.

Ginny also got up and started getting ready to leave and made her way outside.

"So Draco, huh?" came Harry's voice as he followed behind her.

She just rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Harry, what's your issue with him?" she asked, placing her hand on her hip.

"How about how he almost got you killed?"

"That wasn't his fault"

"Ginny, having any kind of association with the Malfoys is like...a death sentence these days"

"Well, that's a chance I'm willing to take," she said angrily, turning to leave.

He grabbed her arm roughly and spun her around, "WELL I'M NOT" he yelled. His face was angry, but his eyes held concern and worry. He gave a long sigh before gently releasing her arm. "I wish you could just try me on this."

She just stared at him for a moment; it was so hard to trust him when she knew he was keeping something from her. She didn't say anything before she finally started walking away and went off to work.

Ginny made her way through the wards around Malfoy Manor and up to the double doors and walked right in. She was halfway up the stairs when she saw Narcissa coming out of the side hall.

"Please tell me you're kidding?" Narcissa scoffed at the sight of her.

"Oh, sorry," Ginny said before backtracking and opening the front door again and giving an obnoxious knock on it. "Better?"

"I see you've taken barging in to another level, will there ever be a day where we won't see you?" she drawled.

"Well, I wasn't here yesterday," she said with a smile before heading back up the stairs. "Dinners at six, right?" she asked before turning and continued making her way to Draco's room with a smug look on her face.

Narcissa balled her fists and went to walk up after her when the sound of Lucius' voice stopped her.

"Narcissa, really? Violence?" he said with a smirk.

"Of course not, dear," she said before turning and storming off in a different direction.

Ginny gave a quick knock and before she waited for a response from Draco she walked right in. She saw he was already going through some of the papers from Blaise's file again and she threw her bag on a chair, kicked off her shoes and then jumped on the couch next to him.

"Find anything else out yet?" she asked, looking over his shoulder at the paper he was staring at.

He didn't even bother looking up at her since he was used to the routine they had almost every day. "Nah, I mean, I found out that guys name we went to check out. His name was Gregory Pines...ring any bells?" he said, glancing over at her.

"No, not at all." she sighed.

"So did you get your file today?"

"Pft, no, Harry has had stupid Cho Chang helping out in the office so I haven't had a chance," she said, obviously annoyed by her new coworker.

"Sounds like your jealous" he smirked.

"Yeah, I'm definitely not, besides, I have a date with that Chamberlain guy tomorrow," she said, waving her hand.

"A date?" he laughed.

She looked at him angrily, "Yeah a date why?"

He just shook his head, "You don't strike me as the dating type," he said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, that's right, you're constantly thinking I'm out all night fucking guys," she snapped, slouching back on the couch.

He just scoffed at her comment and then turned to look at her as she started to look through Blaise's file also. He wanted to ask her about what happened between them the other day if it was anything at all. She certainly wasn't looking for any answers about it or was acting any differently so he decided to leave it alone. He just sat back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling as he thought about all the clues they could have if he just had the courage to open up his own file and go through it.

Just as he was thinking it, Ginny spoke up. "Uh, do you think you might want to take a look at your file today?"

He reached over and pulled it out of a side table drawer and placed it on the table. "No...but I know we have to sooner or later," he sighed, just looking at it as a lump seemed to form in his throat.

Ginny could tell he was nervous about revisiting his past, he almost looked scared. She got up and knelt down in front of him and placed a hand on his knee. "Hey, we don't have to do this today...its ok," she said softly, as she locked eyes with him.

He just stared at her, he wanted to tell her to fuck off and leave him alone, but there was something about the way she looked at him that made him never want to stop looking at her. He finally nodded and she took the file and placed it back into the drawer.

"You need to clear your mind for a few days perhaps and then revisit it," she said, standing up and taking a seat beside him.

"What do you suggest? Another fuck session?" he scoffed, sitting back again on the couch and stared at the ceiling once more.

"Maybe," she shrugged.

He snapped his head up to look at her.

"I'm just kidding," she laughed, looking at him. "Kind of," she mumbled.

"You know we can't just fuck every time we need a break from these damn files," he joked.

" Oh chill out, Draco, we can definitely fit a quickie in before dinner time," she said.

He just stared at her with a raised eyebrow, he wasn't sure if she was kidding or not. If there was one thing he learned about Ginny Weasley these last few weeks, it was that he expected the unexpected from her. Did he truly believe that she was some whore that screwed around with different guys every night, no, he didn't, but did he believe she would do anything to suppress any true raw emotions that might come to surface...yes.

They just stared at each other for a few moments before Ginny finally leaned forward to kiss him when he met her halfway. He didn't know why he kept going along with these random sex sessions, but it was better than sitting around thinking about the horror that is his past. He felt her move closer and closer to him on the couch until she was in his lap. She started to straddle him and then felt him grab her ass firmly and pull her closer to him until his bulging erection was rubbing against her hot throbbing pussy.

She quickly threw her shirt off and roughly ripped the buttons of his pants opened and pulled them down enough to expose his hard cock. He pulled her skirt up into a balled mess and didn't even bother to take her panties off, but instead, there was a distinctive ripping sound and Ginny just looked at him with a smirk.

"Seriously? Again?" she said through her hard, fierce kisses against his lips.

"Well, stop wearing fuckin underwear when you come here," he growled out as he felt her lower herself onto him.

"Yeah, you know what, let me just stop outside of the wards before I get here and take off my-" she let out a pleasurable gasp as he pulled her down hard onto his dick and then quieted her moans with another long hard kiss.

She ran her hands through his platinum hair and grabbed it firmly as he penetrated her deeper. She felt him kiss her chest and then go up to her neck where she felt a shiver throughout her body. His hands continued to grope her in a firm yet pleasurable way that made her want him to fuck her harder. She suddenly grabbed the back of the couch and pushed hard and fast against him until she felt herself cum.

Feeling Ginny's orgasm around his cock made his release come that much faster, especially with hearing the moan she tried to quietly let out against his ear.

Ginny rested her forehead against his as both of their breathing slowed down and she turned her head to look at the clock. She started to softly giggle and Draco looked at her funny until she nodded towards the clock beside them.

"Shit, it's six already," he said, throwing his head back onto the couch.

"You know what that means," she teased.

Just as they noticed the time, there was a knock on the door and they both looked at each other.

"Dinner time," they both said in unison and then started laughing.

Ginny quickly grabbed her shirt and threw it on and Draco pulled up his pants before there was another knock on the door. He quickly ran over to it and ripped it open.

"Yes, Mother?"

She just looked him over for a moment, "I was just letting you know it was dinner time," she said before looking up at his hair and then back at his face. "You might want to comb your hair before dinner," she said with a slight smirk before making her way back downstairs.

Draco let out a long breath before closing the door and turning around to face Ginny, who fell into a fit of laughter.

They both soon arrived at the dinner table where Lucius and Narcissa were already waiting.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, joining us for dinner again?" Lucius drawled.

"Yes, Sir, Mrs. Malfoy invited me to stay," she said, looking at Narcissa with a wide grin.

Narcissa almost spit her wine out when she heard Ginny's comment and just glared at her.

Suddenly, there was a tap at the window by an owl holding a letter that Ginny recognized as her own. "Oh, that's probably the wedding invite," she said, walking over to the window and letting the owl in before taking it from him.

She handed it to Lucius and took a seat again at the table beside Draco.

"A wedding invite?" Narcissa asked.

"Yeah, to my brother's wedding," Ginny shrugged, taking a bite of food.

Lucius looked at the letter quickly before handing it to Narcissa. "Why would your parents invite us to such a personal event," he asked.

"Well, I suggested it to Draco the other day and then spoke to them this morning about it."

"Why would you do that?" Lucius asked, sounding angry.

Ginny saw the look on their faces, she could tell they felt out of place even thinking of accepting such an invite. She put her fork down and gave an impatient sigh. "Listen, Kingsley will be there and how perfect would it be if you guys were "invited" and then actually came to it? Kingsley would definitely be impressed, especially with all the crap that's been going on with the Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley incidents." she finished with a shrug.

Narcissa and Lucius looked at each other, not sure of what to say or whether they should accept the invite.

"I think you guys should go, it's just to show face," Draco chimed in.

"Miss Weasley, are you absolutely positive your parents wouldn't mind the intrusion?" Narcissa asked.

Surprised by her consideration for her family's feelings she gave a small smirk. "Honestly, they will probably just be surprised you accepted it." she shrugged.

Narcissa looked at Lucius one last time. "We will think about it, we will send a reply back by the end of the evening," she said before taking a sip of her wine.

The rest of dinner went by rather well, Ginny had done most of the talking and Lucius and Narcissa would just listen or give a snide comment whenever the moment struck. After it was over Draco walked Ginny out to the edge of the wards and they both stood in silence for a few moments.

"So...a date, huh? Why?" he asked her suddenly.

She turned around to look at him and a small smile formed on her face. "Why? What's wrong, Draco, are you jealous?" she teased him.

"Uh, yeah, I'm going to go with, FUCK NO, what I mean is... why this guy of all people. You couldn't stand the wanker that day in Diagon Alley." he started to go off on a rant.

"First off, he apologized and second, he's very nice to me. He's handsome and very well mannered, which is a lot more than I can say about you," she said angrily, placing a hand on her hip.

"I'm going to vomit, please stop and by the way, I can be a gentleman, in fact, I am a gentleman, but you're a Weasley, is there really any reason to be well mannered around people like you?"

She just gave a small angry laugh as she shook her head and then looked at him. "Goodnight, dickhead," she snapped before walking through the wards and disappeared out of sight.

Ginny sat up in her bedroom in front of the mirror just looking at herself and then rubbed her face in frustration. She ran her hand through her hair wildly before getting up and looking at her outfit in the mirror. She had on a tight, sleeveless, low cut dress that came down just above her knees and a pair of heels that matched. She just shrugged and then made her way downstairs to the kitchen where her mum was getting ready for dinner.

"Oh, don't you look lovely, when is Mr. Chamberlain coming to get you?" Molly asked, taking a seat at the table.

"Ugh, please call him Will or William, hearing "Mr. Chamberlain" is weird," Ginny sighed before taking a seat at the table.

"Good evening everyone," came Harry's voice as he walked in from the back door.

"Seriously, Harry? Why are you always here? You have your own place you know?" Ginny snapped.

He took a seat across from her. "Aww, someone's cranky this evening," he teased her.

She kicked his leg hard from under the table causing him to say a quick "ouch" and shooting her an angry glare. "What's your issue tonight? I thought you couldn't wait to go out with...William." he said sarcastically, fluttering his eyes dramatically.

"Oh screw you, Harry, I am definitely not like that," she argued.

"He's so charming and so polite and just oh so handsome," he kept teasing her in a girlish voice.

"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you," she said through clenched teeth, standing up from the table.

"ALRIGHT YOU TWO, ENOUGH, YOU SOUND LIKE CHILDREN!" Molly yelled and gestured for Ginny to sit back down.

Just then there was a knock on the door and Mrs. Weasley walked over to answer it. "Ah, William, so lovely to see you this evening, please come in."

Ginny let out a long sigh and gave one last look at Harry before she got up and greeted Will. "Hey, Will," she waved.

"Good evening, Ginevra. You look exquisite," he said, taking her hand and placing a light kiss on it.

"Oh, thank you and Ginny is just fine...uh let's get going," she said quickly, practically pushing him out of the back door. Before she walked out after him she picked up one of the dinner rolls off the counter and threw it hard at Harry, who was snickering at the table along with her father.

"Are you alright, Ginny?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm sorry, just can't seem to get rid of this headache," she said, clearing her throat and taking a bite of her food. "This is a lovely place" she commented on the restaurant he took her to.

"Yes, it is lovely, I always thought it was quite romantic," he said, looking at her. "Perhaps, I should take you home if you're not feeling well?"

"Oh, no, that's ok, honestly I need a break from there so I am perfectly fine," she said, waving her hand to dismiss it.

"Well, we can always go back to my place for a little bit to kill some time?" he suggested.

Ginny just looked at him, "Oh, um"

"Nothing like that, I just thought perhaps I could make you a cup of tea and get lost in some conversation until your ready to head back," he said with a light laugh.

She just smiled at him, "Uh, yeah that...that sounds nice," she said.

He left some money on the table and then got up and put his hand out for her to take. She looked at his outstretched hand for a moment before giving him a small smirk and felt a pull behind her navel as she apparated to his flat.

When she opened her eyes she was standing in a small flat that was very modern and organized a little too much to Ginny's liking. She took a seat on the couch as her head was still spinning from the trip over and before she could say a word Will brought her over a glass of water.

"Here you go, you look like your going to be sick, are you sure your alright?"

"Thanks," she mumbled, taking the glass from him and then a small sip. "Honestly, Will, I'm fine," she said, standing up and then taking a look around his flat. "This is a nice place you got here...very neat," she said, looking at him with a smirk.

"What are you amused by?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Nothing, it's just your so...perfect, it's kind of annoying." she laughed.

"Wow, a little blunt aren't we?" he said, watching her look at his knick-knacks and pictures.

"Sorry"

"Don't be, it doesn't bother me, I rather the honesty. So you don't like neat and polite?"

She gave a light laugh as she picked up a picture of him when he was a baby and looked at it. "I wouldn't say that, sometimes I just like to be caught off guard when it comes to-"

As she turned around to face him she was met by his lips on hers and then he pulled away after a few seconds. "Sorry, I just thought I'd try to surprise you to make things less... boring," he explained quickly, worried that she would be upset by his actions.

She just smiled at him, "It's fine... calm down." she said with a giggle.

"Would it be alright if... if I kissed you again?"

She bit her lip and then looked at the floor, "Um...ok" she said before he leaned down to kiss her again. She noticed his lips were kind of stiff...like he was afraid to get sloppy. She put her hand on his chest and lightly pushed him back. "Actually, Will, I'm so sorry, but I'm not feeling as good as I thought. Would you be upset if I cut our date short?"

He just looked at her for a moment and then gave a nod before he apparated back to the Burrow with her. They walked up to the back door and he went to give her a kiss goodnight when she turned her face a bit so he could kiss her cheek. She didn't make eye contact with him until he said goodnight and started walking away and went back to his flat. She let out a long hard breath and then walked into the kitchen and was surprised to see Harry was there with a cup of tea and some papers he was going through.

"Hey, back so soon?" he looked at her with a smirk.

She just sighed and sat next to him and pulled his teacup to her. "UGH! I just couldn't do it much longer, Harry, he's too...too-"

"Charming?" he finished her sentence.

"YES! He's just so boring and stiff and a goody-goody. Even his kiss was as dull as he was." she sighed putting her head down.

"WAIT, WHAT? YOU LET HIM KISS YOU?" he snapped at her.

She picked her head up and looked at him, "Why is that a problem?"

"You barely know him," he started to go off.

Ginny just grabbed her head as the throbbing pain continued to intensify.

Noticing her discomfort, he decided against the lecture he was about to give her. "Are you ok, Gin?"

"Yeah, I just have this headache, anyway listen, Harry, you...you..." she started feeling dizzy and her vision became blurry.

"Ginny?" he called out to her. "HEY! GINNY!" he yelled louder.

She saw Harry's face clearly in front of her, his hands had her face cupped as he called out to her. "I'm ok, I really am, I had some wine at dinner and...and I think maybe it's just getting to me. Can you just give me a hand upstairs?" she asked as she tried with all her might to stay alert.

"Of course, here," he said, letting her put her arm around his neck and put most of her weight on his body.

He helped her climb the stairs and then helped her to her bedroom and over to the bed.

"Thanks, Harry," she said with a small smile.

He sat beside her and she rested her head on his shoulder. "What's going on with you, Gin?" he asked, his voice filled with worry and concern. "Are you not sleeping again?"

"I promise you I am sleeping, I just have a terrible migraine and the wine I had probably didn't help," she explained, looking up at him and locking eyes with his. "Honestly" she whispered.

He turned a bit to face her better and cupped her face with both hands, letting his fingers intertwine with her hair a bit. "Ginny, I hope you know that I would NEVER do anything to intentionally hurt you," he said, his tone serious.

She was a lot more alert now than she was before and wanted to know why Harry was telling her this now of all times. "I know that, why are you telling me this?"

"Just know that things between us ended because of me...you did nothing wrong...NOTHING" he said firmly.

Her eyes couldn't leave his for some reason, his words were hitting her harder than she thought they would. "It was both of us, Har-"

"NO! It wasn't...JUST please remember that I love you and I always will, Gin, and if ever you question that or why I did the things I did...just please know that I only did them because I thought I was protecting you." he said, his voice cracking a bit as his breath lightly hit her face.

She wanted to ask him to explain himself; she could feel the love he had for her by the way he was holding her, by the way he was looking at her...she wasn't sure if it had ever gone away. She felt him gently pull her to him and he placed a soft kiss on her lips and for some reason, she kissed him back for a moment and then she suddenly felt him pull away quickly and stand up.

"I have to go, are you sure your alright?" he asked her quickly, already halfway out the door.

She gave a quick nod and before she could say anything he was gone.

"What the fuck is going on tonight?" she mumbled to herself.

She had so many questions running through her head right now, which seemed to make her throbbing headache worse. She wasn't sure what to think, what did Harry mean by all of that? She knew she had to make it a point to get her file so she could hopefully find some answers to all her unanswered questions.

She suddenly jumped off her bed and apparated to Malfoy Manor and quickly made her way up to the doors. She knew it was late and she could only imagine what his parents would have to say about her showing up at this hour. She knocked instead of rang the doorbell and soon Tilly had opened the door.

"Hey, Tilly, I know its late can I please come in?"

"Tilly cannot let guests in after eight o'clock, Miss Weasley," she said, getting ready to close the door.

"Well, that's ok, see I'm a friend...not really a guest," Ginny said as she put her hand on the door to stop her from closing it.

"I would say more like a nuisance," came Narcissa's voice. "Miss Weasley, why the hell are you here at this time, it's nearly nine-"

"I need to talk to Draco and the night is still young, geez," she snapped.

Narcissa didn't say anything she just rolled her eyes and held the door open enough for her to walk in. "You're testing my patience, Miss Weasley" she called out as Ginny made her way upstairs.

Ignoring her comment she made her way to Draco's room and gave a quick hard knock before barging inside. She saw him jolt up from the couch with a book falling to the floor that he had fallen asleep with.

"WHAT THE HELL? WEASLEY? DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS? MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU BARRELING IN HERE LIKE SOME LUNATIC?" he yelled.

"Sorry, I just need to talk to someone," she quickly said as she started pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace.

Draco just gave a long sigh and sat back on the couch rubbing his eyes. "I have a feeling you're going to talk to me regardless if I object?"

She started telling him how her date with Chamberlain went and then she started to talk to him about the conversation her and Harry had.

"...and then he kisses me too...that's two guys on the same night. Why would Harry even say any of that stuff and why the hell would he kiss me, that is way over between us, there's nothing there anymore." she finished, as she still paced back and forth.

Draco seemed unphased by her story and then just gave another sigh and looked at her. "Well, I mean...maybe its the way you're dressed," he said, gesturing to her revealing oufit.

"What's wrong with my dress?" she asked angrily with her hand on her hip.

"Well, for starters, your fuckin tits are on display for the world to see and its short as bloody hell," he pointed out everything as he called it out.

She took a seat next to him, "Your making it sound like I'm some whore." she mumbled.

"You mean your not?" he teased.

She slapped him hard on the arm, "Screw you, Malfoy"

"Not tonight," he said with a yawn. "Maybe tomorrow," he smirked, stretching his arms out.

"You're such a prick," she said as she reached forward and poked him hard in the ribs making him quickly pull his arms back down. "Ah, a tickle spot," she teased him.

"Can't you talk to Granger about this shit?" he asked, rubbing his face again in frustration.

"Your kidding, right?" she said, looking at him like he was nuts.

He just gave a shrug. "So... you don't like this Chamberlain guy?"

"I don't know, he is awfully sweet, I just want him to be more...more...aggressive or something."

Draco just smirked, "And...what about Potter? I mean he seems like he might have feelings for you still."

"I don't even know if it was like that though, its like he feels guilty for something and I bet you anything it might have to do with what's in my file," she said, rubbing her temples as that familiar pain started to come back. "I should get going," she said in a hurry and started walking to the door.

"Wait," he called out to her. "You come parading in here at this hour and woke me up for a half hour of ranting and now you just leave...why don't we go through this file again or something?" he suggested.

"I don't know, I have a headache and I really want to get out of this outfit now that you've pointed out how exposed I am," she said, glaring at him and attempted to pull her dress up over her chest more.

He just stared at her and then Ginny followed his gaze right to her chest.

"Are you staring at my tits right now? Are you serious?"

"Chill out Weasley, they were staring at me"

"Yeah, I bet, you know William didn't stare at them," she said smugly.

"Uh, yes he did." Draco scoffed.

"No, he did not, he's a gentleman," she snapped.

"Well, think what you want, you may not have caught him staring, but he definitely sneaked a peek. He's probably rubbing one out right now just thinking about- OOF"

He had the wind knocked out of him when Ginny threw a quick curse at him that made him fall back onto the couch.

He jumped off the couch with an expression of shock and anger. "Did you seriously just pull your wand out on me? And more importantly, where the hell were you keeping it?"

"Well, stop talking about me like that, it's gross," she snapped, taking a seat on a nearby chair.

"I thought you were leaving?"

"I am, I just need a minute," she said, holding her head in her hands.

The throbbing in her head was almost unbearable; she thought her head would just explode all over the hardwood floors. She took a deep breath and tried to make the pain subside, but the nausea she started feeling was overpowering everything. She kicked her shoes off and started walking towards the bathroom before Draco could question her about her actions. She turned the faucet on and started cupping handfuls of water into her mouth. She splashed some cold water on her face and soon heard him start to knock on the door. She wanted to just simply reach over and open it to tell him she was fine, but the room was completely spinning. She finally managed to grab the doorknob and pulled it open and held on to it and the counter to keep herself up.

"Hey, what's going on? Are you alright?" he asked, taking in her very pale complexion.

She started shaking her head no and then tried to look at him. "I think...I'm going to pass..."

Draco suddenly saw her start to fall and he quickly caught her in his arms as her entire body collapsed before him. He slouched to the floor and held her in his lap as he started to shake her lightly.

"Ginny? Ginny, wake up...GINNY!" He shouted as he shook her to try and wake her up. "What the hell is going on with you?" he mumbled to himself.

He scooped her up and laid her on the couch and ran to his bathroom to get a wet rag and was by her side once more. He started lightly patting her face to try and wake her up.

"Ginny? Ginny, wake up...come on," he kept saying, hoping she would hear him and open her eyes. He knew she never slept and thought if maybe she was just exhausted again and wasn't sure if he should just let her rest. He felt her pulse and it was strong and decided to give her a little bit to see if she would wake up.

He sat down on the chair next to her and started fidgeting with his hands as he tried to decide how much time he should let pass. Deciding he couldn't wait any longer in case something was wrong he went to get up to find his parents when he saw her start to wake up. He quickly sat down on the edge of the couch beside her and grabbed the wet rag once more and patted her face again.

"Hey, are you ok?" he asked her, looking her over.

She just gave a low groan and blinked a few times until her vision was clear. "I passed out?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Ugh, in this dress too," she groaned even louder.

He just smirked at her, "It's ok, I hardly peeked at anything,"

She just gave a soft giggle and then they both became silent for a moment.

"Ginny...what's going on with you?"

She looked up at him with a smile, "Hey, you called me Ginny" she said in a frail voice.

He just gave a half smile and then looked at her again, his expression more firm.

"I don't know what's wrong, I've been sleeping...kind of. Maybe I'm just stressed out with everything going on. Sorry I keep passing out in your arms."

"Well, at least it wasn't almost down the stairs this time," he teased.

"I guess I should get home," she said, attempting to pull herself up from the couch.

"Slow the hell down, Weasley," Draco snapped, getting up to help her up.

She was still a bit wobbly and had both of her hands on Draco's shoulders so she wouldn't fall.

She started to shake her head and sat back down on the couch. "Ok, apparently that's not happening right now," she gave a hard sigh and she laid her head back on the couch. "I can't go home to my parents like this, they will worry way too much and I can't handle that right now."

"So what are you suggesting? A sleepover?" he joked.

She looked at him and bit her lip as she saw him finally realize that's exactly what she meant.

"Yeah, that's not happening, I need my privacy."

Ginny just rolled her eyes, "Oh, please, you guys have like fifty rooms in this place, can't I just crash in one?"

"That's really not a conversation I want to have with my parents right now and not to mention the explanation that's going to have to go along with it. Just... sleep on the bloody couch, I guess," he said angrily.

"Well, what about pajamas? I'm not going to wear this dress to sleep."

"If you actually think I'm giving you my clothes to wear, then you're sadly mistaken," he said in a dismissive tone.

"Oh, stop it, Draco, just give me some sweats and a shirt, I'll transfigure them to fit," she said, finally managing to stand up and walk over to his dresser.

She opened the drawer and he closed it on her. "I said no, Weasley"

"Well, too bad," she said through clenched teeth, ripping the drawer open again.

"NO"

"YES"

"NO!" he finally yelled.

"Fine," she simply said before walking over to his bed and started pulling the blankets off.

"What are you doing?" he asked at her sudden action.

"If you won't lend me something to wear, then I'll just transfigure your blankets into something."

"ALRIGHT, STOP!" he yelled out in anger and then went into his drawer and pulled out something for her. "Here," he mumbled before throwing it at her, making her lose her balance and fall to the floor. "Shit, are you ok?" he asked as he quickly ran over to her to help her up.

"Yeah, sorry my head is still kind of spinning," she said through a slight groan as she held her head in pain again.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you home?"

"Uh, have you met my parents? They will probably bring me to St. Mungo's, I just can't deal with my mum's hysterics right now," she was getting annoyed just by the thought of it.

He helped her up and she slowly made her way to the bathroom and changed. She looked herself over in the mirror and saw how pale she looked. She decided to splash some cold water on her face and went to wipe some excess water from her nose when she saw a tiny streak of blood on her hand. She looked in the mirror and got closer to it to see she had some dried up blood around the edges of the inside of her nostrils.

"You ok in there or did you pass out again?" Draco called through the door as he gave a quick knock.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," she said quickly, cupping some water to her nose and washing any blood residue away.

She quickly dried her face and made her way back into his room and over to the couch. She laid her head down on the pillow and just watched the fire burn in front of her as she thought about these dizzy spells she kept having and the painful headaches.

"Don't think you're going to be crashing here now whenever you want, and I want my clothes back to the way they were when you're done using them. Actually, on second thought, just keep them or burn them because-" he stopped talking when he saw Ginny was already fast asleep.

He just smirked at her and then grabbed a blanket he had over a nearby chair and covered her with it. He watched the flames of the burning fire dance off of her ginger strands that hung across her face and chest. He smiled to himself before he turned off the lights and crawled into his own bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so obviously there was another sex scene and I know it came out of nowhere and it was a really fast scene, but I really wanted it to come off as exactly that. So what do you think of Ginny's date with William and her conversation with Harry? I love your comments and reviews! I love you guys! PLEASE REVIEW!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK so this chapter is longggg its over 7,000 words so I'm really sorry if that's a turn off for some of you. I just didn't find a good cut off spot for it and there was so much info to put into this chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

Draco opened his eyes and they were met with the morning sunlight shining through one of the curtains in his room. He squinted a bit as it hit his face and blinked his eyes a few times to adjust them. He thought back to the horrid nightmare he had last night and how real it all felt. He let out a soft sigh and then turned his face away from the sunlight and followed it to the other side of his bed where he saw her. Ginny was fast asleep in his bed beside him and her fiery red hair was being illuminated by the rays of sunlight. He couldn't take her eyes off of her until he felt something warm in his hand and looked down to see her holding it. He just stared at it for a moment and tried to think back to last night when Ginny made her way into his bed. He sat up and pulled his hand away, making her stir in her sleep and start to wake up.

She gave a quick yawn and stretched out across the bed and opened her eyes to see him looking at her.

"I told you to sleep on the couch," he snapped.

"Sorry, you were having a nightmare or something last night so I..." she trailed off when she saw he was uncomfortable with the fact that she witnessed one of his nightmares...again. "Uh, anyway, thanks for letting me crash here, I really-OH SHIT! I HAVE TO GET TO WORK!" she quickly yelled, jumping out of bed and grabbing her clothes from last night.

She quickly ran towards the door and then stopped to turn and look at him. "I'll be back later, maybe you can try and look through your file today?" she suggested to him.

He just looked at her for a moment and then gave a small nod. She gave him a small smile and then a quick wave goodbye before she apparated home for a quick shower and a change of clothes.

Ginny made it a point to change back into her dress before she got back home and then walked into the kitchen of the Burrow to see everyone's eyes on her. Her mum and dad were at the table and to her surprise Percy and George. She saw her parents give a snicker and she rolled her eyes as she walked past them to make her way upstairs.

"I see your date went well with William?" Molly asked.

"I know what you guys are thinking and that's not what happened. I just spent the night out and NO, it wasn't with William," she snapped.

"Then where were you?" her mum asked; this time some concern in her voice.

"Mum, it's nothing like that, please don't push this," she said, running her fingers through her hair wildly in frustration.

She watched her mum exchange a look with her father and then she nodded.

Ginny went to walk away when Percy called out to her. "Hey, Gin, no hello?" he asked, pretending to be hurt by her lack of acknowledgment.

She just looked at him, "Hello," she said sarcastically and then her eyes drifted to George, who locked eyes with her. Her heart felt like it was going to burst into a billion pieces as she thought back to the hurt look on his face that day in Harry's office. "Hey, George," she said quickly with a wave hello. "I'm late for work," she mumbled before quickly exiting the kitchen.

Ginny was running at this point through the Ministry to get to work even though she was already late. She quickly opened the office door and took a seat in front of Harry's desk without even looking at him and started to apologize.

"I'm sorry I was late, I overslept and I tried to get here as soon as I could, but-" She stopped speaking when she noticed it wasn't Harry sitting behind the desk but Cho instead. "Oh, where is Harry?"

"Well, good morning, Ginny, Harry won't be in today, unfortunately," she said with a small smile.

"Oh...do you know why?" she was hoping it wasn't because of the conversation they had last night.

"I'm not really sure," she shrugged.

Ginny gave a hard sigh and then just sat there in silence, while she listened to Cho flip through the files on the desk. Ginny watched her for a moment and for some reason she just grew more annoyed by her just being there. She quickly got up and headed to the door.

"Where are you off to, Ginny?" she asked curiously.

"I'll be right back, I need to talk to Will- uh Mr. Chamberlain," she cleared her throat and then made her way into the hall.

She quickly walked a few doors down and gave a quick hard knock before she heard someone call out to come in. She walked into his office to see him sitting behind his desk with his face buried in a file.

"Hey, Will, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked, walking closer to his desk.

"Oh, Ginny, yes of course; please sit down," he said as he closed the file and put it in his desk drawer and then walked around it to pull the chair out for her.

"Uh, thanks," she mumbled.

"So, what is it that you wish to speak to me about?" he asked, taking a seat once more behind his desk.

"Do you know why Harry isn't here today?"

He looked at her for a moment and then down at his desk with a smirk, "And here I thought you might have wanted to discuss our date last night," he said with some amusement as he looked at her again.

"Oh...uh...I-"

"It's alright, Ginny, I'm just messing with you. Mr. Potter is working out of the office today... it was a last minute decision" he explained.

Ginny didn't say anything she just nodded and then started to get up. "Alright, well thanks," she mumbled while she headed for the door.

"Is that all?" He asked her, folding his hands and leaning his elbows on the desk.

She just rolled her eyes before she turned around to face him again and then started to get annoyed. He obviously wanted to talk about how their date went last night and to talk about his stiff and unsatisfying kiss. She suddenly walked back over to the seat and plopped down angrily and folded her arms and just glared at him.

"The date was fine last night, you're a very charming guy, but your kiss was very underwhelming, which therefore makes me think, "gee, if this guys kisses are just as stiff and polite as he is, then I can only imagine how the sex is" and then your apartment was so damn tidy I was afraid to even sit on the damn couch and yeah I thought I would like the whole romantic thing and charm and all that shit but it turns out... I can't fuckin stand it. Not to mention now your sitting here waiting for feedback on the whole thing which is so fuckin lame I can't even begin to tell you. I also realize that I've just said all of this to you, and I really couldn't care less if your feelings were hurt because its the damn truth and I'm sorry if it's blunt, but I just can't pretend to be ok with it anymore," she finally finished with a long sigh and then slouched down in her chair as she caught her breath.

She looked across the desk at him and he was just looking at her with a wide smirk spread across his face and he started laughing. Ginny couldn't help but start to laugh as well until it started to die down and he just smiled at her.

"You are very... unique, Ginny"

"Uh, thanks?" she giggled. "Guess, I'll get back to work," she said as she got up and headed to the door.

"Alright, I'll bring lunch by around noon," he said casually as he pulled his file back out and started looking through it again.

"Oh...ok," she said with a slight smirk and then left his office.

Ginny tried her best to finish out the rest of her workday without strangling Cho. She couldn't help but be completely annoyed with everything she did and said. She was quite relieved when lunch time came and she left the office, which finally gave Ginny an opportunity to grab her file. She quickly made her way to the file cabinet and performed the charm to release the protective barrier and opened her file to see that it was completely empty.

"What?" she mumbled to herself.

She quickly checked the next draw to see if it was put somewhere else but she still found nothing. She quickly ran over to the pile of papers in the corner of the office where she had found her medical papers and still found nothing.

"DAMMIT!" she yelled out, slamming her hands on the desk.

"Having a bad day I take it?" came Will's voice as he opened the door.

Ginny didn't say anything, she just took a seat at the desk and watched Will bring over a bag full of lunch for them.

"Here you are," he said, handing her the bag.

"Thanks," she said before pulling out a sandwich.

"So what has you so angry?"

"Oh, it's nothing, I just misplaced something and it was important and now I can't find it," she said, shrugging it off so he wouldn't ask questions.

"What was it? Maybe I can help?" he suggested.

"I doubt it," she sighed.

They were both quiet for a moment.

"So, are you looking forward to tomorrow?" he asked.

"Tomorrow?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, it is your brother's wedding isn't it?" he said with a chuckle.

"Oh, yeah, I can't believe I forgot."

"Your mother invited me tomorrow, I hope that's alright?"

"What? She did?" Ginny asked, trying to sound calm but deep down inside she was livid with her mother right now.

"I can tell your surprised by that new piece of info. If you'd like I won't go."

"Oh, no, it's fine, of course, you should come," she said with a forced smile.

"Wonderful, just make sure you save a dance for me," he said with a charming smile.

She just gave him a small nod with a slight smile as she thought about the conversation she had planned for her mother when she got home.

"MUM! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING INVITING WILL TO THE WEDDING TOMORROW?" she yelled out as she stormed into the kitchen after work, throwing her bag down on the chair and plopping in a chair.

"Well, hello to you too, dear," she said, ignoring Ginny's outburst.

"Seriously, Mum, why would you do that before asking me?"

"Oh, Ginny, calm down...your father and I thought it was a nice gesture regardless if you were dating him or not," she shrugged.

"We are not dating, but now, thanks to you, he's going to be up my arse the whole time." she let out a frustrated growl.

"Oh, I hardly doubt that, especially since the Malfoys accepted our invite to the wedding, so Draco will be coming and you'll have to entertain all our guests, dear." she simply said.

"They did?" Ginny asked, a smile forming on her face.

Molly looked at her and gave a small smirk. "I see you're pleased with that outcome?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, just because it will look good for dad," she shrugged.

"Mmhmm, now go wash up, I'll fix you a small snack before dinner," she said waving her off upstairs.

"Oh, actually, I have to be somewhere," she said, getting ready to leave the kitchen.

"Well hold on now, where are you going?" Molly asked.

"Mum, it's just a friend's house,"

"Will you be home for dinner at least?" she looked at her daughter with hopeful eyes.

"Uh, maybe"

Molly just gave a small nod. "Very well, go get changed, dear," she gestured for Ginny to head upstairs before giving a sad sigh.

Ginny gave a quick knock on Draco's bedroom door before opening it up and seeing it wasn't in there. She heard him in the bathroom and decided to just wait for him on the couch. She had noticed his file was sitting out on his bed so she assumed he must have finally gone through some of it.

She walked up to the bathroom door and lightly knocked, "Hey, I'm here," she called out.

The door suddenly whipped open to reveal a shirtless Draco, "I know, Weasley...the wards remember?" he said slipping a shirt on.

She quickly spared a glance at his bare chest before he covered it with a shirt and then looked at him. "It could have been your parents," she said smugly.

"Well, I doubt that since they aren't here right now," he said, walking over to the couch. "Did you get your file today?"

She was quiet and then just gave a defeated sigh, "No, it wasn't there, I couldn't find it anywhere."

He could tell she was disappointed in not being able to retrieve the file still and yet here he was with his AND Blaise's. "I'm sure it will turn up," he said, trying to make her feel better, although he wasn't sure why he cared to make her feel better. Perhaps he just felt he owed her something for her help with getting his hands on his files.

"Harry wasn't in the office either, Will said he was working in the field today... maybe he took it with him?" she suggested.

"Could be, but why would he need that? Unless he's working on something that has to do with your case."

"Anyway, I heard your parents accepted the invite. Do you need some help picking out something to wear?"

"Are you serious? Me? Need help?" he scoffed, before walking over to his closet and opening it up. "You tell me," he said, letting her look inside his massive closet and seeing a ridiculous assortment of suits and everything to go with them.

"Wow, this is intense," she said, walking into it. "Is this suppose to indicate that you don't need help because I would have trouble deciding on which one to wear," she joked.

He just shook his head. "I think if anyone will need help it's going to be your brother, is he wearing his Yule Ball robes for the ceremony?"

They both started laughing.

"Damn, I hope not," Ginny giggled. "Sooo, I see you've managed to get your file out of the drawer, did you happen to go through it at all?"

"Not quite," he mumbled. "I guess it needs to happen eventually, just bring it over here and let's get this over with already." he decided.

She just looked at him for a moment before walking over to get his file off the bed. She grabbed it with one hand and started walking over when the vial containing Draco's memories fell out and onto the floor. Before Ginny could stop herself, she accidentally stepped on it and slipped to the floor. Her eyes grew wide when she realized what had happened and she immediately turned her gaze to Draco.

"No" he whispered, "No, no, no, no, no." he kept saying over and over as he ran over to the vial.

"Draco, I'm so sorry, I-" she stopped when there was a sudden cloud of smoke that engulfed the both of them and she closed her eyes as it hit her, not sure of what to expect.

When she opened them again, she wasn't in Draco's bedroom, but standing in the middle of a small street surrounded by a few buildings. She immediately knew she was dragged into his memory of one of the darkest days she knew it to be for him. She ran to his side as she saw the look of fear and panic on his face as he backed up against one of the walls of the buildings and slumped to the ground.

"Draco, I am so sorry...Draco? Hey, look at me? It's going to be fine, just...just don't look and cover your ears or something until it's over," she said, desperately trying to help him not relive whatever it was that she was about to witness.

He suddenly just looked at her with a slight sneer as tears had already swelled in his eyes...and then his eyes traveled to over her shoulder and she heard voices behind her. She turned to see Draco and a woman walking hand in hand down the street together; they were talking and laughing and were quite affectionate towards each other. The woman had dark hair and was quite beautiful and Draco looked...happy, his smile was genuine and his features soft as he kissed the woman before him.

"I can't believe you proposed, I didn't think you had it in you," the woman teased as she admired the new ring on her finger.

"Yeah, well... let's just say you made it quite easy for me to become used to the idea," he responded as he hugged her to him.

"Aww, how romantic," came a young man's voice a few feet away.

Ginny didn't even notice him or the group of people that suddenly appeared around them.

"Fuck off," Draco said, as he took the woman's hand and started walking away with her.

Ginny had trouble keeping up with everything that unfolded suddenly before her eyes. As Draco tried to leave, one of the men threw a binding charm at both of them and quickly grabbed the woman and then Draco. Ginny watched him try to break free of the curse, but then her attention went to the young woman who had been backhanded hard and fell to the floor.

"LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE!" Draco yelled out as he suddenly broke free of the curse and went running to her side.

Before he could make it there he was hit with a Cruciatus curse which brought him to his knees and he screamed out in pain. They had done the same to the woman whose screams filled the streets around them and had Draco trying to crawl to her side. One of the men kicked him hard in the face, making him flip over to his back.

"I'm going to make sure that you get what you deserve, Draco Malfoy, I want to make sure you have NOTHING, left to live for," the man said as he pulled a knife from his pocket.

Ginny recognized the knife from the picture that had fallen out of the file the first day she brought it to Draco. She also wasn't sure, but the man that was standing over Draco looked familiar and she noticed a few other faces that were the same people from that day in Hogsmeade.

The man walked over to the woman, who was being continually put under the Cruciatus curse and wrapped his hand around her throat and threw her hard against the wall. Draco tried to get up, but every time he did or attempted to reach for his wand he was kicked, punched or tortured with a curse. He spit out a mouthful of blood and tried to scream out to the woman he loved, but received a hard kick to his ribs.

"DRACO!" the woman screamed.

Draco somehow managed to get up from the ground and went to reach for his wand when it was gone. He pulled one of the men away from her and started punching him repeatedly until he was hit with a spell that slammed him against the wall, causing him to fall to the ground.

"This should help you stay still," one man said as he took a dagger and plunged it into Draco's leg, making him scream out in pain. "You're going to want to sit down for this," another man said as he walked over to the woman.

He took the knife and stabbed the woman right in the stomach.

"NOOOO!" Draco screamed in rage.

Ginny started to run forward to help, forgetting that she was in a memory for a moment. She felt someone grab her arm behind her as she continued to watch in horror at the scene that played out.

The woman fell to the floor and the men around them just watched her try to crawl away to Draco.

"Dr...Draco" she choked out, through the blood running from her mouth.

He had managed to reach out to caress her face as her body trembled before him. "Hey, it's going to be ok," he said in a soft voice to make her that less scared. "Astoria, look at me, your fine ok? We're fine," he kept reassuring her even though he knew they were far from it.

She nodded through her tears and then felt her someone grab her roughly by her hair and pull her to her knees.

"NO! STOP IT, PLEASE STOP! IT'S ME YOU WANT JUST LEAVE HER ALONE! WHAT DO YOU WANT? PLEASE, I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT!" Draco cried out as three men held him back from getting to her.

One of the men, who seemed to be leading the entire group, walked over to him until he was only inches away from his face. "Can you bring people back from the dead?"

Draco just slumped his head in response.

"Yeah, I didn't think so, BUT you're going to wish you could after this," the man said before he walked over to Astoria with his knife and grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head back.

"DRACO!" she screamed out as the man swiftly brought the blade up and slit her throat.

"NOOOO! ASTORIA!" he screamed out.

All the men suddenly apparated away and just left Draco and his lifeless fiance in the middle of the street. He crawled to her body and pulled her into his lap and just sobbed uncontrollably against her chest. He shook her body a bit in an attempt to wake her up and still there was nothing but silence. He screamed in rage until his face was red and couldn't breathe anymore.

"No...no, please wake up, PLEASE!" he screamed as he stroked her hair and then gently cupped her bloody face in his hands.

He was covered in her blood, his body shook with shock and rage and he just buried his face in the crook of her neck and pulled her body tightly to his and just sobbed.

Ginny felt something wet on her face and realized it was her own tears, something she hadn't spilled in years. She saw the memory start to fade as Aurors had started to show up and soon once more she was standing in Draco's room. She quickly wiped her face clean of any emotion and then she looked at who had grabbed her arm and it was Draco. She turned to look at him and he was sitting on the floor with his head down, his elbows resting on his knees. She wasn't sure what to say, but she could only imagine what he was feeling right now. She was waiting for him to go off on her for dropping the vial in the first place, but nothing ever came.

"Draco?" she whispered, as she got on her knees and sat in front of him. She felt her heart sink as she watched his body try to hold back the overwhelming emotion he was feeling.

"Just get out of here," he choked out as his voice broke from emotion.

She quickly made her way to his door and went to leave when she stopped and just looked at him. She had no idea what Draco had lost from these people; how much heartache they caused him. How he suffered all these years and then to kill Blaise in front of him too, and almost his mother...Ginny knew he must have felt guilty for it all. She knew he probably felt the most guilty for not being able to get to Astoria in time that night.

She also thought about their recent intimate encounters together and she felt guilty for initiating something like that with him. If she had known about his past, she probably would never have taken things to that level. Then she wondered if he felt guilty for that also and maybe he was mad at her for letting it seem so easy to just screw anyone. She was so confused on how to act around him now and what to say.

After a few more moments of deep thought, she closed the bedroom door and walked back over and sat on the floor beside him. She just rested her head on his shoulder and grabbed his hand and laced her fingers with his.

"I'm so sorry, Draco," she whispered and then just sat with him while he tried to fight back the tears he inevitably shed.

They sat there for about an hour in silence and she didn't dare ask him anything about what she saw, she knew he didn't even want her knowing about Astoria or anything in his file. She just decided to change the subject entirely and pulled her locked fingers away from his. She got up from the floor and put her hand out for him to take.

"Come on, my mum wants me home for dinner tonight... why don't you come over?" she suggested.

He wanted nothing more than to forget what he had just witnessed again and attempted to try and pretend he didn't just watch Astoria be murdered again. He looked up at her and then to her outstretched hand. "So, you sat here for this long probably wondering what to do or say to make me feel better and when you realize there is nothing you can do or say you decided to come out with that?" he snapped.

She just gave a small laugh and then they just looked at each for a few moments before he gave a small smirk and finally grabbed her outstretched hand to pull himself up off the floor.

"So, what do you say?" she asked.

"Yeah, I don't think so, I'll just stay here," he said, walking over to the broken vial and waved his wand to repair it.

He muttered a small spell to copy the memory once more from his mind and placed it back inside the vial. He just held it in his hands for a moment just staring at it swirl about inside the tiny tube.

Ginny gently took it from him and placed it in the file and put it back in the drawer near the couch. "Come on, let's get out of here for a bit," she said, reaching her hand out for him to take her back to the Burrow.

He looked at her hand once more and then reluctantly took it and apparated to the backyard of the Burrow.

Once they arrived at the Burrow, Ginny turned around to see the setting sun in the distance and then looked at Draco. She grabbed his arm and led him up the steps and into the back door before his mind could start wandering back to the horrid memories they just watched.

"Oh, Ginny, dear your back for dinner, very good," Molly said, as she looked up to see her standing there with Draco. "Oh, Draco, I didn't realize you were joining us," she said with a nervous smile.

"Is that ok, Mum, it's just Draco, his parents are out for the evening," she explained.

Suddenly, Molly's expression turned to one of relief, "Oh, thank heavens, of course you could stay, Draco, forgive me, but its those bloody parents of yours that just rub me the wrong way," she went on.

"Pft, how do you think I feel, I have to live with them," he drawled, as Molly patted his arm lightly as she realized he had it worse than she did.

"Oh, Ginny... Hermione, Ron, and Harry are joining us this evening for a little pre-wedding celebration," she said with a smile. "Oh, and Bill and Charlie will be here tonight for the wedding tomorrow."

"Yippee," she responded sarcastically as she took a seat at the table with Draco.

"Dinner, isn't quite ready yet, but there are plenty of biscuits to keep you content until then," Molly said, as she placed a big basket full of warm biscuits on the table. "Oh, and here why don't you two get to work on getting some cookies on this baking sheet," she directed them as she passed a big bowl of cookie dough to Ginny for them to scoop out some cookies.

Draco leaned forward towards Ginny so Molly wouldn't hear him. "Well, Weasley, I've definitely got my mind on something else now, I'm thinking, gee, how the fuck did I get stuck baking cookies with you and having dinner with your entire bloody family," he snapped at her angrily.

"Sorry, I didn't realize everyone would be here, does it really matter?" she asked, placing a perfectly shaped cookie down on the pan.

"Nah, I really don't give a shit...like this?" he asked her, holding up a rather big ball of dough.

Ginny just started laughing.

"Oh my, that is one big cookie, here," came Molly's voice as she reached over Draco's shoulders and ripped half of the dough from his hands and threw it back in the bowl. "Like this," she said, grabbing his hands and showing him how to roll the dough to form a perfect circle.

"Ugh, Mum, he doesn't like to be touched," Ginny moaned out.

"Well, too damn bad, he's got to know how to make a proper cookie," she snapped at them both before walking back to the stove.

"Wow, your mums a bit aggressive...now I see where you get it from," he said with a smirk.

Ginny flicked a piece of cookie dough off of her finger that flew on his cheek. "Oh, sorry," she giggled, before leaning forward and using her thumb to wipe it off. "I was trying to aim for your hair," she teased.

Draco took the whole ball of dough he had been rolling and went to throw it at her when Mrs. Weasley quickly grabbed it from him.

"No wasting food in this house," she said, taking the dough and placing it neatly on the baking sheet.

Just then Arthur and Harry had walked into the kitchen.

"Hello my darlings," said Arthur from the doorway. "Ah, Draco, good to see you," he said, before walking over to Molly and giving her a quick kiss.

"Hey, Dad," she said and then her eyes fell on Harry, who had his hand bandaged up. "Hey, Harry, what happened to you?" she asked.

"Hey, Gin...Draco," he said with a hard sigh before taking a seat across from them. "It's nothing, I just hurt it while I was working out of the office today," he said, waving his hand to show it was no big deal.

Ginny locked eyes with him for a moment before she gave a small nod and then turned back to see how Draco was handling the cookie dough.

"Finished...see... their perfect," Draco said, pushing the pan towards Ginny.

She started laughing, "Um...close enough, Dad, could you-"

"I'll fix them," he chuckled before taking the cookie sheet and resizing the large balls of cookie dough.

Harry couldn't help but watch the way Ginny interacted with Draco, they seemed quite comfortable around each other and had no problem holding a conversation. At one point he even saw Ginny take a bite of a biscuit and hand the rest of it to Draco, who didn't seem to mind her bite mark in it before he took one too. He could tell she had been at Draco's house a lot more than she was telling him or her parents about. It didn't bother him that she and Draco were friends and hung out, but he also knew how dangerous it was to get involved in any of the Malfoys lives.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Ron and Hermione arrived.

"THERE THEY ARE!" Mrs. Weasley squealed in delight at the sight of them. "Come on now everyone, sit down, dinner is just about ready," she gestured for them to take a seat at the table.

They both took a seat at the table and Hermione sat beside Draco. "Hi, Draco, how have you been?" she asked with a small smile.

He looked at her for a second to make sure she was indeed talking to him and he just gave a shrug, "Just peachy," he said with a slight sneer.

Hermione just gave him another tight smile and then turned her attention to Ginny, "So how was your date with Will last night?" she asked like a giddy school girl.

"That guy is a bloody wanker," Ron chimed in suddenly.

"Yeah, he is," Harry and Draco agreed in unison.

"Oh, shut up, you guys are just jealous because he's good looking and charming," Ginny snapped.

"That's bullshit, you were just bitching last night about him being too gentle and not aggressive enough," Draco mocked her from their conversation last night.

Ginny quickly locked eyes with Harry at Draco's comment about her talking to him last night about Chamberlain which meant Harry knew she went to Draco's after he had kissed her.

"What's wrong with gentle and charming?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Well, apparently that's not your type either," Ginny answered as her eyes fell on Ron.

Hermione gave a small giggle.

"I'M PLENTY CHARMING!" Ron yelled angrily.

"Yeah, and I'm good looking," Harry chimed in.

"UGH, why is this conversation turning out to be all about Will?" Ginny growled in frustration.

"Now, now everyone you are all charming, good looking and gentle now let's start eating," Mrs. Weasley interrupted them all as she placed a big plate of chicken on the table.

Once Mrs. Wealsey served the rest of the food everyone forgot about William and started talking about the wedding the next day. Halfway through dinner, Charlie and Bill arrived and joined them at the dinner and the conversation shifted to what they had been up to since they were last home.

After dinner, everyone had spread out and started to talk amongst themselves as Mrs. Weasley got dessert ready. Ginny was talking to Draco out on the porch while they watched Ron, Bill and Charlie get an unofficial game of Quidditch going. Ginny's eyes fell on Draco while he just simply watched her brothers and how he seemed to just be enjoying the fresh air. She smiled to herself as she continued to watch him, but then her mind went back to the memories she had witnessed just hours earlier. She wanted to ask him so many questions, but she didn't dare try to bring it up...not anytime soon anyway.

"Hey, Draco, can I have a word with you for a moment?" came Harry's voice as he approached him and Ginny.

Ginny locked eyes with Harry for a moment and then with Draco, "I guess I'll go see if mum needs help with dessert," she said, before walking back inside.

"What do you want, Potter?" Draco asked, sounding irritated with him.

"Draco...do you know who Gregory Pines is?" Harry asked him.

Draco felt a lump form in his throat and finally managed to swallow it before he glared at Harry. "No," he drawled.

Harry just glared back, "You sure about that?"

"I'm pretty fuckin positive, why are you asking me?" he snapped.

"Because he was found dead the other day, looked as though there was a bit of a struggle that went on there," he said, looking at the blond.

"Well, that's unfortunate, why the hell should I care?" he asked angrily.

"I thought it was interesting since Gregory Pines was a person of interest in a particular case,"

"Unless that case is the one I want you to reopen, then I'm done with this conversation," he said, starting to walk away.

"I should tell you that we are doing a full scan for prints, evidence of any kind-"

"What the fuck are you getting at, Potter?" Draco said through clenched teeth as he walked back over to Harry.

"I think you know that Gregory Pines was a suspect in your case and I think you went there looking for him,"

"Fuck off, Potter, how the hell would I know any of that?"

Harry took a step closer to him, "I know you might not believe this, but I'm trying to save your arse, Draco," he quietly said. "I know that something is going to come back where it points to you, so if there's anything else you want to tell me...now is your chance," Harry warned him before he started to head back inside.

"WAIT!" Draco called out to stop him. "Before you start scraping up shit, there's something you should know,"

Harry turned around to look at him, "And what's that?"

"I'm not the only one who was there," he said with a sneer.

Harry took a step closer to him, "Who the hell else was there with you?"

Draco's eyes just traveled over his shoulder and landed on Ginny through the kitchen window.

Harry followed his gaze and his eyes went wide, "No," he whispered to himself. "Ginny? Ginny was there? Why the FUCK is she anywhere near these people, Draco?" he said as he grew livid by the news.

"She's the one who pushed us to even go, she doesn't exactly do what she's told," he snapped.

"Why the hell would she do that?"

"Because... she knows that these people know who she is," Draco explained. "That day in Hogsmeade she knew something was up,"

Draco watched the color drain from Harry's face, he was sure that there was a lot more to Ginny and these people than he thought there was.

"Potter, why the hell is there a case file on Ginny?" he asked suddenly.

Harry looked completely panicked by the mention of it. "What? How do you-"

"She found it... how the hell do you think we found out about Pines, why the hell do you think she suddenly wanted to work in your office?" Draco went on, not sure why he was telling him all of this and he knew Ginny would surely kill him once she found out.

"Did she see-"

"No, she hasn't seen anything in it yet, but she knows how to get it," he paused for a moment as he watched Harry take in the news. He thought for a moment that Harry was going to break down into tears and it made him want to know even more now about what was in that file. "Harry, what the fuck is in there?"

Harry just shook his head. "You have your case file then? I need it back, TONIGHT! And I will take care of the Gregory Pines situation, but the next time you get involved in this case again or you drag Ginny into it...I'll take you to Azkaban myself,"

Draco just looked at him and nodded, as much as he couldn't stand Harry, he knew that he helped him out a lot during these past few years. He worked on his case for a few years before he finally called it quits for whatever reason, but it seemed he must have been looking into again now. He wasn't even sure why Harry was covering all this mess up for him, why he wasn't reporting him to the Ministry about his case file being stolen. He knew it was mostly because it would fall on Ginny as well and he knew Harry wouldn't let that happen to her.

"I never meant for her to get involved in any of this...I wouldn't wish that on anyone," Draco said softly. "Please don't tell her I told you all of this,"

Harry just looked at him, why would he care if Ginny knew that he told him everything? Apparently, it was important to him what Ginny thought of him, which made him question exactly what was going on between them.

"You guys finished yet? Dessert is ready," came Ginny's voice from the doorway.

"Actually, I think I'm going to head home," Draco said, turning to leave.

"Wait, why? Don't you want to stay for some cake?" Ginny suggested as she walked up to him.

He looked at the disappointment on her face and then he glanced up at Harry and then back to her. "I just... I just better be going," he said softly as he started walking away.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow at the wedding, right?" she called out to him.

He turned to her with a small smirk, "Yeah, sure," he said before apparating back to home.

Ginny turned around and looked at Harry, "Did you say something to him to make him leave?" she asked angrily.

"I don't think so, but there's not much you can say that doesn't make him mad," Harry sighed.

She took a seat on the porch steps and then Harry joined her, "I thought you were going inside for dessert?" he asked her.

"I don't really want any," she shrugged.

They were both quiet for a little while.

"Harry, can we talk about that kiss last night-"

"It's fine, Gin, it was my fault, I shouldn't have done that. I just got lost in the moment," he explained.

"Do you still have feelings for me?" she asked him; she could tell he was a little uncomfortable with her direct questioning.

"Honestly, Ginny, I don't think the love I had for you and still have will ever go away, but I think it's safe to say that what we use to have is over," he said softly as he looked at her.

She just gave him a small smile and then rested her head on his shoulder. "Harry...I know about Astoria," she said suddenly.

He looked at her. "Draco told you about her?"

Ginny didn't want to say she knew about her from the vial of memories she stole from his office so she just nodded. "Earlier tonight...it was awful...why don't I remember reading this is the Daily Prophet?"

"Because the Malfoys didn't want to be the center of the media again; after Astoria's murder..." He trailed off as he thought back to the night. "I was the first one on the scene that night...it was...something I don't think I've ever seen before...not in a long time anyway. Draco...he was just...gone,"

Ginny listened to every word he spoke, she hadn't realized how involved Harry was in Draco's case and what he had to witness that night. She heard his voice fill with emotion as he spoke about that night.

"I think he would have held her forever if we hadn't forced him to let her go. Lucius and Narcissa didn't know how to help him...there was no way to help him, all he wanted was revenge and honestly...I wanted it for him. I made that case my top priority every damn day and gathered everything I could about it and then one night...Baise was murdered because of it. Narcissa was almost killed and then... " he stopped and looked at her.

"What?" she asked in a whisper.

He just shook his head, "Things just started to get too dangerous and too complicated. The same night they murdered Astoria, the house that he and Astoria had just moved into was burned to the ground. These people were everywhere...I still don't know how they managed to be ten steps ahead of me. Every time I thought I had a lead it ended up getting somebody killed or hurt...or worse," he said the last part in a whisper.

He hadn't realized how much he was saying and he quickly changed the subject. "Anyway...it was nice of you to invite him here tonight...I think he needed it," he looked at her with a smile.

"I wasn't sure what else to say after finding something like that out," she shrugged.

"He must really trust you if he told you about something so personal," he said, looking at her for a few moments. He watched her become lost in deep thought. "Ginny, are you falling in love with Draco Malfoy?" he teased her.

She punched him hard in the arm, "Hell no, I mean he's different and I like that, I guess," she shrugged, looking at the grass.

"So you LIKE Draco?" he asked with a smirk, giving her a light nudge with his leg.

She just furrowed her eyebrows at his comment as the realization hit her, "Yeah...I guess I do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so what do you guys think? Please review! I LOVE reviews! I love hearing everything you guys are thinking or even what you think will happen. Please tell me what you guys think so far, are you enjoying the story? How about the chapter lengths?
> 
> PS: If you haven't already read my other story Unhinged, you could take a peek at that one while you wait for these chapters to come out, lol. Love you guys!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me longer than usual to update, I've just been busy at work. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Ginny woke up the next morning and just lay in bed thinking about Draco's memories yesterday. She just couldn't shake the image of Draco's face when Astoria was murdered right in front of him, how he latched on to her lifeless body...it made a lump form in her throat from the mere memory of it. She thought back to how Harry described the scene to her and it was all a lot more than she could handle right now. These weren't even her memories and she was feeling a slew of emotions that she couldn't explain.

She was pulled from her thoughts when there was a quick knock on the door and her mother popped her head in.

"Ginny, dear, everyone is downstairs for breakfast, why don't you get showered and dressed," she said with a smile.

Ginny just gave a quick nod and then pulled herself out of bed and headed to the bathroom and then made her way downstairs to see everyone eating breakfast and lost in conversation. She took a seat beside Harry and grabbed a piece of toast and tried to eat it. It was hard for her to eat anything when she kept thinking about the horrid scene she had seen yesterday. She took a small bite and managed to swallow it and then gave a soft sigh before she pushed the rest of it away from her.

"You ok?" Harry asked her.

She just looked at him and then ran her hand through her hair and then nodded, "Yeah...yeah I think so."

After breakfast, it was just Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and Ron left at the table and they were discussing the day ahead of them as Hermione beamed with excitement.

"So after the wedding tonight, Harry, Ron and I are going to Pristine Point, I'm sure you're coming along right?" Hermione asked.

"Of course," Ginny said. "Like I would miss out," she gave a wide smile and then it faded as a thought entered her mind. "Um...I want to ask you guys something," she started off.

"What's up, Gin?" Harry asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I want to bring Draco to Pristine Point," she quickly said.

They all became silent, Pristine Point was there only escape from the world, it was literally a totally different life for them there. The only people that were ever told about it or were invited to it were people they knew that would be able to leave everything behind. There was never any drama or any talk of the wizarding world or past events that any of them went through, it was literally one giant party where everyone got along.

"Ginny, you know what that would mean right?" Ron asked her. "I mean...its Malfoy, is he even capable of having fun?" Ron said as Hermione slapped him on the arm. "Ouch, well its true, what if we let him in and then he ruins it for the rest of us? I don't know if I want to risk that."

Ginny just fidgeted with her hands as she thought about what her brother was saying, she knew he was right. She wasn't even sure if Draco would go and she wasn't sure he could turn his mind off like that enough to enjoy it. Harry saw the uncertainty on her face; he knew she just wanted to help him escape the darkest days of his life.

"I think we should allow it," Harry said suddenly, looking at Ginny and then to Ron and Hermione.

Ginny snapped her head up to meet his gaze and exchanged a small smile with him. She was surprised Harry was backing her up on this and then she turned to Ron and Hermione.

"So, what do you say?" she asked them.

"I think it's a lovely idea, as long as he's on board," Hermione said brightly.

They all turned their attention to Ron as they awaited his decision; they all had to agree to it before they could ever bring a new person there.

Ron just looked at all of them and then gave a hard sigh, "FINE! But if it's awkward or he pulls any of his Malfoy shit, he's out."

A wide smile stretched across Ginny's face, "Thanks guys,"

"Alright, don't we have a wedding to get ready for?" Harry mentioned as they all started to scramble to get up and head out of the kitchen.

Draco and his parents arrived at the Burrow that late afternoon for Ron and Hermione's wedding and it took much effort from all of them to show up. Draco knew why his parents were doing it, but he also knew how out of place they felt. He also felt a bit odd being here at an event so personal to the Weasleys; he really just felt like a total outsider. He didn't realize the Weasleys knew so many people and had a lot of extended family; most of which were less than pleased to see him and his parents there. He wasn't really sure why or if he cared at all what anyone thought and honestly, he really didn't; he was just here for his father's sake in the end...right?

The ceremony was about to start in a few minutes and he took a seat with his parents all the way in the back. He hadn't seen Ginny yet since he arrived and found himself looking all around for her. He watched Ron getting what seemed like a pep talk from Harry up at the altar and he couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face.

"A Pureblood and a Muggle getting married," Narcissa just gave a heavy sigh, "You hear about it... but to witness it is something I could have gone without seeing." she drawled.

"Here we go," Draco mumbled.

Narcissa just glared at him and then back up at Ron, "I suppose if ever a Pureblood and a Muggleborn should get married it should be these two, they do make a rather decent couple I suppose," she simply said as she continued to watch the groom start to hyperventilate.

Lucius and Draco both looked at her funny from her odd comment.

"What? I need to try and tell myself something to get through this," she stated.

"Lucius...Narcissa, I'm surprised to see you here at such an event," came Kingsley's voice from a few feet away as he made his way towards them.

"Nice to see you, Kingsley, yes, we were invited and thought it would be...nice to show our support for such an occasion," Narcissa managed to get out, even though she really wanted to say it was more beneficial to them than anything else.

Draco saw that Kingsley seemed impressed by their appearance there and he couldn't help but give a small smirk as he thought of Ginny and how this was her idea. He just sat there and drowned out the conversation his parents started having with Kingsley about how things were at the Ministry. His eyes finally found what he had been searching for since he arrived...Ginny Weasley. She was standing up at the altar, talking to her mum and she looked beautiful; she had this bright yellow dress on that only made her hair stand out that much more. He couldn't help but smile at how gorgeous she looked, especially with the late afternoon sun lighting up her hair that she had loosely pulled back with a small clip. She suddenly caught his gaze and she smiled at him, which made him smile that much more.

"Draco?"

Draco quickly wiped the smile off his face when he realized Kingsley was talking to him. He noticed Kingsley follow his gaze and a wide smile formed on his face when he saw who Draco was smiling at.

"I was asking how you were holding up since the Hogsmeade incident?" Kingsley asked as he turned back to Draco with a small smirk.

"Uh... I'm fine... everything is good." he stammered for words.

Kingsley just smiled again. "Good, I'm happy to hear it, well, I better be getting to my seat," he said.

As soon as Kingsley walked off, Narcissa and Lucius both stared at Draco.

"What?" he asked.

"Son, please explain to me why you're ogling the Weasley girl," Lucius drawled with a bit of a hiss to his words.

"WHAT? I wasn't ogling her, I-"

"Draco, do you like her?" Narcissa bluntly asked.

"I..." he trailed off as he took another look across at her as the ceremony started. "I guess, yeah, I mean she's different and interesting, who doesn't like that?"

"US!...we don't like that, especially a Malfoy," Narcissa stated.

"You guys are freaking out over absolutely nothing, we're just...friends I guess," he explained. "Now drop it," he sneered.

The ceremony had started and soon Hermione had made her way down the aisle to Ron, whose palms finally stayed dry once his wife to be had joined him up there. Ginny smiled to herself as she watched all of Ron's nerves completely relax once he saw Hermione. She listened to their vows and as she did, she glanced up at Draco once more and then she couldn't help but think back to her conversation last night with Harry. Sure, she liked Draco, he was good looking and quite interesting, but it wasn't anything more than that.

Before Ginny realized how lost in her thoughts she was, the sound of applause and cheers filled her ears and she turned to see Hermione and Ron share their first kiss as husband and wife. Soon everyone made their way over to where the reception was going to take place and Ginny took her opportunity to make her way over to Draco who was grabbing a drink.

"Hey you," she said with a smile.

"Oh, H-hey," he managed to get out as he realized how much more amazing she looked up close. "I hope these drinks contain liquor," he drawled, as he took a sip and then made a nasty face.

Ginny just giggled, "Here, this one is the one you're looking for," she laughed, handing him a different glass from down the table.

"Thanks," he said, taking the glass from her and throwing it back into his mouth.

Narcissa made her way over to Molly, Arthur and Harry during the reception as Lucius got caught up in another long conversation with Kingsley. She managed to find some wine that she was very pleased about, given the position she somewhat felt forced to be in.

"Molly...Arthur...what a lovely wedding...very simple," she said, looking around the transformed backyard of the Burrow.

Molly became instantly defensive, "Well, we can't all afford such big extravagant-"

"Relax, Molly, I never said simple was a bad thing," she smirked. "These days simple seems so much better anyway," she sighed, taking a rather large gulp from her wine glass.

Molly, Arthur, and Harry just looked at her, "Oh, uh, well, thank you, Narcissa," Molly said, surprised by the comment. "Thank you for coming to the wedding, it was...I didn't expect you to accept the invite."

"Well, you can thank your daughter for that one, she is the one who convinced us to come after all, as I'm sure she is the one who convinced you to invite us," she said, looking at Molly with a raised eyebrow.

Harry smirked to himself, he knew how cunning Ginny was.

"Indeed she did, I suppose it was best for the both of us," Molly decided.

"Hmm, I suppose, I think it's just that she wanted Draco to come really," Narcissa shrugged.

They all looked at her, "Why do you think that?" Arthur asked.

"Well, they are sleeping together so-"

Harry spit his drink out into the grass at her comment and started violently coughing. "S-sorry...just choking on m-my ...drink," he said through his coughs.

Molly slapped him hard on the back as she turned back to Narcissa, "Excuse me?" she asked her again.

Narcissa just looked at her with a smirk, "Oh, I thought you knew...my mistake," she said, taking a sip of her wine and walking away.

As soon as she started walking away Molly and Arthur turned to Harry, "Did you know about this?" they both asked.

"What? No!" he said, "Besides, you don't even know if she's telling the truth," he suggested.

Molly and Arthur just turned their attention to their daughter across the way, who was in deep conversation with Draco.

"I don't know, Harry, I have a feeling she may be right," Arthur said with a heavy sigh.

"So I saw Kingsley talking with your parents, I think he's impressed that they came," Ginny said, as she walked with Draco over to a nearby table where there was a bunch of finger foods.

"Yeah, I suppose so...I guess your plan worked," he said, looking at her with a smirk.

She just smiled at him and then it faded suddenly, "Oh, shit, here he comes," she mumbled.

Draco looked at her funny and then turned to see Will walking up to them.

"There you are, Ginny, I was looking for you," he said with that charming smile. "Mr. Malfoy, I didn't realize your family was so...close to the Weasleys," he said, giving Draco a quick glance over, before holding his hand out for Draco to shake.

He just looked at Will's hand with a sneer and then back up at him, ignoring his hand and just taking a sip of his drink.

Will cleared his throat and then turned his attention back to Ginny, "Not the social type I see, anyway, how about a dance?" he asked her, holding his hand out for her to take.

"Oh, uh-"

"Come on, I won't take no for an answer," he said with a handsome smile.

Ginny turned to take one last sip of her drink and place it down, "I bet," she mumbled to Draco. "Sure, why not," she said with a forced smile before she grabbed a powdery pastry and stuffed it into her mouth until her cheeks were bulging.

Draco just smirked at her before she let Will lead her over to dance with him.

"So ladylike that one is," Harry said as he walked up beside Draco.

"Look at that bloody wanker, what a fuckin joke," Draco sneered, as he threw the rest of his drink back while watching Ginny and Will dance.

"You seem rather riled up over him being here, are you jealous?"

"Pft, jealous of what?" he scoffed, turning around and filling his glass up again, "Ginny, can't stand him,"

Harry just smirked. "So... your mother just told Ginny's parents that you guys are sleeping together,"

Just like Harry did earlier, Draco spit his drink out at his comment, "WHAT? Why the hell would she do that?" he asked angrily.

Harry just shrugged, "Not sure...I mean, she could be making it up," Harry suggested.

Draco started watching Ginny dance with Will again with that famous Malfoy sneer plastered on his face, "Yeah, she could be," he mumbled.

"So...are you?" Harry asked.

Draco finally managed to peel his eyes off of Ginny for a moment to look at him, "What's the problem, Potter? And is that really any of your business? My mother is a troublemaker, she'll say anything to get someone riled up," he snapped, before finishing off his drink once more and walked away.

Draco went off in search of his mother and he saw her talking to his father in a secluded corner away from most of the crowd. He strode up to her and grabbed her arm and pulled her further away from the crowd.

"Why the fuck are you telling Ginny's parents that we're sleeping together?" he asked angrily through clenched teeth.

"Oh relax, Draco, it's so obvious, I thought they knew already honestly," she said waving her hand to dismiss it.

"Draco, please tell me you are NOT screwing around with that Weasley girl," Lucius drawled, rubbing his temples in frustration.

"I'm not..."

"Well, thank goodness for th-"

"...she's screwing around with me," Draco shrugged.

His parents just looked at him.

"What? The opportunity presented itself and-"

"Ok, enough," Narcissa cut him off, we don't need the details.

"Son, why the bloody hell would you-Did you ever-I have no words, honestly," Lucius said, trying to think of something to say.

"I think what your father is really trying to say is, what exactly is going on with you and Miss Weasley?"

Draco rolled his eyes in annoyance, "NOTHING, we're just...I don't know... friends? That's it, now please stop telling the world about my life," he snapped, walking away angrily.

Lucius and Narcissa just watched him walk off.

"Sometimes...I want to choke that boy," Narcissa drawled, before she took a sip of her wine.

Ginny made her way over to Draco, who was sitting by himself at an empty table in deep thought it looked like.

"Where are your parents?" she asked, taking a seat beside him.

"They left a little bit ago," he scoffed at the previous conversation he had with them.

"What is it?" she asked, after seeing his reaction.

"Apparently my mother thought it was her place to tell your parents we're screwing around, although in my defense, it's really all your fault," he said.

She started to laugh and lightly slapped him, "Who cares what they said to my parents, I'm a big girl I can do whatever I want and whoever I want," she said. "Everyone is dancing, why don't you come join me for one?" she asked, attempting to pull him up from the chair.

"Yeah, that's not happening,"

"GINNY! What are you guys doing over here, the party is over there," her brother Bill said, plopping down in a chair next to them.

"Draco is being a party pooper," Ginny teased.

"Is it because there is a rumor going around about you guys sleeping together?" he laughed. "Because honestly, not everyone will remember that in the morning."

Draco just shook his head and slouched down further in his chair, "You see what you started?" he snapped at Ginny.

"Yeah, it was all me, let's go, Bill, I want to dance," she said, getting up and letting her brother pull her onto the dance floor.

Draco just watched her, he loved how she was so laid back after everyone hearing about their intimate encounters together. She wasn't embarrassed by it or even tried to deny it, she was fine with whoever knew and she didn't care. Did he just think the word "love"? No way, that's not possible he thought to himself. Sure, there were things Ginny did that completely caught his attention and sure she made him smile even when he just smirked or even sneered in place of it. She treated him like a regular person and never once brought up anything from their Hogwarts days or even when his family served the Dark Lord.

He just watched her dancing with Bill as he twirled her all around and then when a more upbeat song came on they both just started jumping and singing along to the song. She didn't have a care in the world it seemed and he couldn't help but smile at her...she was quite extraordinary he thought. When he looked at her he was always a little happier than the moment before and it made him think of Astoria and how she had the same effect on him. His heart suddenly sank when he realized he was falling in love with Ginny Weasley.

"I didn't realize you and Ginny were a couple," said Will as he took a seat beside Draco.

Draco was suddenly pulled from his thoughts, "We aren't, what the hell do you want, Chamberlain, is it a crime now to accept invitations to weddings?" he drawled.

Will just gave a soft laugh,"I didn't think you two would be a thing...I mean...come on, you and her?"

Draco glared at him, "That's funny because we're more of a "thing" then you are with her, but with that handsome and sickening charm you try to pull on her it's kind of hard to see where things went wrong," he said sarcastically.

"Ginny doesn't realize what's good and...not good for her," he said, looking at Draco with a bright smile.

"Yeah, well, maybe when your balls finally drop you can try again," Draco sneered, leaning back in his chair and watching Ginny once more.

Will suddenly slammed his fist on the table and leaned in closer to Draco, "Watch yourself, Draco Malfoy, I have a lot more up my sleeve than you may think," he said in a threatening tone.

"Is it a book on how to kiss because I heard you kind of suck in that department."

Will started to laugh and then his facial expression turned to anger and he leaned in closer, "You just have no idea, do you?" he said, with a satisfied grin.

Draco just glared at him and before he could say anything Harry came walking over.

"Everything ok over here?"

"Ah, yes, absolutely, Draco and I were just chatting," Will said, slapping Draco on the shoulder. "Enjoy the rest of the celebration," he grinned as he walked away.

"What a fuckin prick," Draco drawled.

Harry just smirked, "Yeah, he's not for everyone, that's for sure," Harry watched Draco for a moment and then followed his gaze to Ginny, he couldn't help but smile to himself.

Ginny made her way back over and plopped down in the seat next to Harry, "I can't believe the party is ending soon, this evening flew by," she said with some disappointment.

"Well, there is still Pristine Point to go to, so technically the party is just beginning," Harry reminded her.

She just gave a bright smile, "Very true, go see if Ron and Hermione are still going and I'll work on this guy," she said, locking eyes with Draco as he overheard her comment.

Harry got up and walked away and Ginny moved over to the seat beside Draco.

"What exactly is going on?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"I want to take you to Pristine Point tonight with us," she said with a bright smile.

"I don't think so, Ginny,"

"Look at you using my name again, it kind of turns me on," she teased him.

He just smirked.

"Seriously, Draco, come on, you NEED to come, you just have to. It's... it's amazing, please just trust me on this, you will forget every single damn worry in your life...I promise," she went on trying to convince him.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," he said softly, looking down at the glass in his hand.

Ginny gently put her hand on his, which made him snap his eyes up to hers. Everything she did and said had a whole new effect on him since he had realized the feelings he had for her. He felt a lump form in his throat as she gave his hand a light squeeze.

"I promise, this will be a night you won't soon forget," she said with an even bigger smile.

As soon as Draco apparated and landed, he felt his feet sink into a bunch of sand. He was immediately met with a light breeze from the night sky and the smell of the beach filled his nose. He opened his eyes and was met with a vast ocean ahead of him and the night sky shining down. It felt and looked amazing, something he hadn't felt or seen in so long; he was finding it hard not to rip his shoes off and feel the water on them.

"Whoa," was all he managed to get out.

"I know, it's amazing...come on," Ginny said, pulling him by the wrist down a small sandy hill.

Draco finally took notice of the loud music blaring up ahead and then saw a crowd of people dancing and laughing. He couldn't help but stop in his tracks as he felt his defenses go up and he wrapped his hand around the wand in his pocket. Ginny noticed his sudden halt and turned to see his reaction; she pushed his hand away from his wand.

"Relax, almost everyone here is a Muggle, besides us, of course, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione. You CAN'T use magic and you won't need to either. Trust me," she reassured him.

"No magic? What if someone attacks us?" he snapped angrily.

She suddenly grabbed his shoulders and looked at him. "Draco, look at me," she said with a small giggle.

He looked into her warm honey brown eyes.

"When you're here...you're NOT Draco Malfoy...you're just Draco, nobody knows who the hell the Malfoys are, so relax, ok?" she finished with a smile.

He just gave a small nod and then she finished pulling him along down to the crowd. She started pulling him through all the people as they were bumped into and a few people called out her name to say hi since Ginny was a frequent visitor. She dragged him all the way up to a large bar area where there were three different bartenders handing drinks out to everyone. Ginny leaned over the counter and pulled herself up a bit and waved her hand.

"EDDY! HEY, EDDY!" she yelled out over the music.

"GINNY! HOW THE HELL ARE YOU, BABY?" he said, reaching over and giving her a kiss on each cheek.

"Hey, Eddy, this is my friend Draco, Draco this is Eddy," she said.

"Nice to meet you, oh damn he's fine," Eddy said, taking a glance over Draco.

"Sorry, Eddy, he's straight," Ginny giggled. "Well, I think so...Draco are you gay by chance?" she teased him.

"NO!" he snapped, causing Ginny and Eddy to fall into a fit of laughter.

"I'm just kidding, Draco...Eddy, let's get this night started," she looked at Draco for a moment and then turned back to Eddy,"Let's start off with five shots," she ordered, slamming her hand on the counter repeatedly.

He went to go grab the drinks when Harry, Ron, and Hermione finally met them there.

"Aye, Draco, you came," Harry said, giving him a light slap on the shoulder.

Eddy soon came over and placed the five shots down in front of Draco and he started to pass them out to Ginny, Harry, and the others.

"No, no, no, no, noooo...these.." Ron started to speak, grabbing all the shots and placing them back in front of Draco, "...are for you to start off with," he said with a huge grin.

"WHAT? You want me to down five shots?" he asked.

"YES!" they all said.

"Don't worry, Draco, they did the same thing to me the first time they brought me here," Hermione reassured him.

Eddy brought over another slew of shots for the rest of them.

"Hopefully your a happy drunk," Ginny laughed, before throwing all five of her's back one after the other. "You need to loosen up, come on," she said, banging her fist on the counter.

As she did this the crowd seemed to pick up on Draco's uncertainty of getting shit faced and started chanting for him to drink it. He just looked at Ginny and shook his head at how much of a party girl he didn't realize her to be and threw each one back. Everyone seemed to be pleased with his actions and cheered and applauded and soon started dancing to the music once more.

Draco just watched the others join the crowd, especially Harry and how he just blended in like a normal person.

He leaned closer to Ginny, "So, nobody recognizes Potter...his scar? Nothing like that? It's like he's a nobody..." he trailed off.

Ginny just looked at him with a smile, "Yeah, he's just Harry...and I'm just Ginny. There's no Purebloods or Half-bloods...we're all just Muggles here...nobody is here to judge us, that's why we have never spoken about this place... it's our escape. The Muggles...they are usually the same local people that are always here, yeah, you have one or two drunken fights between some people, but they usually just share a few more drinks and it all blows over," she shrugged as she nodded to Eddy for another round of drinks. "One time, Hermione was so drunk she took one look at my red hair and thought I was Ron and stuck her tongue down my throat." she laughed.

He just smirked and thought about what she had said. "So... you just forget that there's a file in Potter's office on you and that-"

She quickly put her fingertips gently over his lips, "Remember...just Draco...just Ginny...just Harry when we are here,"

He looked at her and gave a nod before Eddy came over with a few more shots.

"Ok, three more and then let's get to dancing," she said, throwing three more back.

"Uh, dancing? I don't thin-"

"No, no, just shut up and drink," she cut him off as he had the shot glass halfway to his lips and she lifted it the rest of the way to his mouth until he drank it.

She nodded to the other two shots waiting for him and he just stared at them for a moment, "Fuck it," he decided and threw the other two back.

"Alright, let's go," she quickly said, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him into the crowd. She stopped right in the middle until people were practically leaning on each other and she just started to dance. She saw Draco just watching her and looking around and then she stopped and spun him around.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She ripped his suit jacket off and threw it into the crowd, "You're too put together, it's bothering me," she said with a smile and then unclipped her hair and threw that too, letting her vibrant strands fall all around her face.

"That jacket was one of my favor-"

He was cut off when she grabbed his tie and pulled him to her. "Loosen this up too, you'll enjoy yourself more...I promise," she smirked, before undoing the top button of his shirt.

"Now I just look like a slob," he sneered, looking himself over.

She just laughed. "Yeah, take a look around and tell me if anyone gives a shit."

He took a quick glance around. "So you just dance and drink all night?"

Before she could answer, another song came on and made everyone give a round of cheers and then start to dance more wildly. Some people were jumping and ended up pushing people all over the place, causing Ginny to be slammed right into Draco. He caught her in his arms before she was pushed too far and toppled over. She just looked at him with a giant smile and started to dance again; every time she spun or jumped along her hair would gently hit Draco in the face. He would normally make some snarky comment, but her scent was intoxicating to him and at one point, he thought he might just grab her and snog her senseless.

He just watched the crowd, Harry was dancing with some random girls and Ron and Hermione were all over each other. His eyes went back to Ginny, who was jumping along to the song with a bunch of other people, one was a guy who was very touchy feely and kept putting his hands on Ginny's waist. Draco wanted to break both hands, but he noticed Ginny didn't seem to mind it and he had to remind himself it was all in good fun.

It had been about an hour of dancing and Draco's drinks were starting to kick in. Ginny somehow managed to break free from the crowd that swallowed her earlier and found Draco's hand and pulled him to the bar once more. Everyone was a sweaty mess, but nobody cared, everyone was feeling good and having fun.

Ginny said something to Eddy and he went and brought her back a champagne bottle. She pulled herself up onto the bar counter and started to open the bottle. "HEY GUYS!" she yelled, making everyone stop to look at her, "I JUST WANT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO MY BROTHER RON AND TO HERMIONE BECAUSE THEY JUST TIED THE KNOT TONIGHT!" she screamed out, before she shook up the bottle of champagne and then popped it, letting it spray all over the crowd.

Everyone erupted into cheers and applause and went wild when the champagne went everywhere. Draco was soaked in it and he soon realized Ginny was too as he helped her down from the counter. She had one arm around his neck and he naturally had one wrapped around her waist as she brought the bottle of champagne up to her lips and took a few sips. She brought it up to his mouth and poured more than she meant to into his mouth making it spill everywhere.

She just started laughing and used her hand to wipe some of it off, "Sorry, EDDY! MORE DRINKS!" she yelled out.

He handed her a few mixed drinks and she handed one to Draco before she pulled him along past the crowd and down towards the beach. Someone had started a small fire and she plopped down in the sand with him beside her. They could still hear the music in the background as they just stared out into the ocean.

She looked at him with a smile., "How are you feeling?"

He took a sip of his drink, "Uh, like I'm going to have a bloody wicked headache in the morning," he said, making them both laugh, "What about you?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling it, everyone is fuckin trashed... watch this," she said, gesturing to some girl that was barely conscious next to them. "Hey, you want to hear something crazy?" she said to the girl.

"Oh...uh...yeah definitely...what is it?" the girl asked, practically crawling closer to them.

"You see this guy right here?" she asked gesturing to Draco. "He knows magic, he even went to school to learn it," she said, causing Draco to reach forward to cover her mouth but she pushed his hand away.

The girl just looked at him, "WOW, like...a fuckin wizard and shit?" she asked, starting to laugh at the very thought of it.

"Oh yeah, and he even has a nifty wand too," Ginny said with a giant smile.

"Oh shit...like a magician? Can you pull like... a rabbit out of a hat...I love bunnies," she said, slurring her words.

Draco just looked at Ginny snickering beside him. "No, I haven't mastered that trick yet, right now I'm still learning how to pour milk down my trousers," he joked.

The girl just stared at him, "I wish I had milk," she said before lying back in the sand and passing out.

Ginny and Draco started laughing.

"See, you can tell anyone anything when they're drunk enough."

"WE BROUGHT MORE SHOTSSS!" came Hermione's voice as she walked over to them with Ron and Harry behind her.

She went to hand them to Ginny and Draco when she spilled a little on Draco's pant leg and she started laughing. "It...it looks like you pissed yourself," she managed to gasp out through her laughter as she fell to her knees in the sand beside him.

Ginny almost spit her drink out but managed to get it down before she too burst out laughing.

Draco just looked at his wet pants for a few moments, "Fuck, it does look like I pissed my pants," he said before they all laughed again.

They all just sat there watching the waves hit the shore, Hermione seemed to have been trashed the most so far as she was sprawled out in the sand with one of her legs hanging over Harry's lap and her head partially against Draco's leg and in the sand. She soon passed out and Ron decided it was time to head back home.

"Alright, let's get you back home," Ron said, slinging Hermione over his shoulder. "Guess I won't be consummating this marriage tonight," he joked.

"Well, she is drunk so you could if you want," Draco suggested, as Ginny and Harry snickered at his comment, making Ron give him a light kick as he walked past.

"I think I'm going to get going also, I have to work tomorrow," said Harry, getting up and following Ron.

After they left Ginny got up and put her hand out for Draco to take, which he did and he pulled himself up. She started walking towards the water and when Draco thought she was going to stop at the edge of the shore, she didn't. He walked after her a little bit until his shoes were being soaked by the washed-up waves and he saw Ginny still walking out into the water.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he called out to her.

"I'm going night swimming, come on," she laughed, as she was now waist deep in the water.

"Ginny, wait," he called again as he made his way to her.

By the time he got to her the water was up to his chest and he was soaked from the crashing waves against him. He grabbed her wrist to stop her from walking any further.

"Let's go deeper," she said, trying to pull her hand from his grasp.

"I think that's enough, you've been drinking...we've both been drinking and it's completely dark out here. Let's head back to the shore," he said, nodding towards the beach.

She swam up to him until their faces were only inches apart, "Are you scared of being out this deep?" she whispered to him.

He felt his heart begin to race at her close contact with him and how she snaked her arms around his neck. He thought she was going to kiss him and he would have gladly met her halfway, but before anything happened a wave hit them hard and they both fell into the water. He quickly resurfaced to the sound of Ginny's laughs and he just smirked at her and then pulled her back to shore. As soon as they reached the beach Ginny was already pulling him back to the bar area where the drinking and dancing were still going strong. If anything, it looked like there were even more people that were there now.

"EDDY, MORE DRINKS!" she called out.

"Uh, Eddy, how about a water for us to go with those drinks?" Draco said.

Eddy came over and brought them their drinks and water and Ginny quickly downed her's and then made her way out onto the dance floor again and Draco just sat at the bar.

"Eddy, does she always drink this much?"

"Sometimes, she kind of just does her own thing. She always somehow makes her way back home it seems, but she usually waits to sober up before she goes home to her folks like that," he said.

"How often does she come here?"

"These days? Not too much, she used to come almost every day, but now it's only like once a week, she doesn't normally drink this much," he said, leaning on the counter and watching her for a moment. "She's pretty awesome, one of my favorite regulars that come around."

Draco just nodded and then turned back to Ginny and watched her dance. He could tell she was completely wasted and the drinks were hitting her hard. He started walking towards her and saw the same guy from earlier with his hands on her waist again.

"Time to go, Ginny,"

"What? Why? I want to keep dancing," she laughed, as the same guy kept touching her as they danced together, which Ginny was oblivious to in her current state.

Draco grabbed the guys hand and threw them off of her, "Hands off, dickhead," he snapped, before grabbing Ginny and pulling her back to the bar. "Here, drink this," he said, handing her the glass of water.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Nothing, I just think we should get going," he said.

"The night is young, what are you talking about?" she giggled.

"Ginny, it's four in the morning, I think-"

Ginny suddenly lost her balance and almost fell on the floor before Draco caught her in his arms. She was just laughing and practically passed out at this point.

"Yeah, it's definitely time to go," he mumbled to himself as he dragged her all the way back to the spot they they first appeared at when they apparated here.

He stopped for a moment before he went to take her home to the Burrow and thought about what Eddy said about bringing her home like this. He knew Ginny would kill him if he brought her to her parents in this state and with a heavy sigh, he apparated to his bedroom at Malfoy Manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so what did you guys think? What do you think about their visit to Pristine Point? PLEASE REVIEW! I love reading what you guys think, it means so much to me whenever I see a new review waiting for me =D


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter! Um...so listen, I really hate to sound like a review junkie, BUTTTTT, you guys need to be reviewing more often, LOL. I NEED THEM, I HAVE TO HAVE THEM! As excited as you guys get to read the next chapter, is the same way I feel when I get a new review! I hope you enjoy this chapter =D

As soon as Draco apparated to his bedroom Ginny toppled to the floor and started laughing.

"SHHHH! You need to be quiet, Ginny," he said to her before he ran over to his door and closed it.

He ran back to her side and helped her up onto the couch.

"Stay right here, I'll grab you some water, then you need to sleep some of this off," he told her, even though he was pretty sure she wasn't hearing a damn thing he was saying.

He went into his bathroom and filled up a cup with some water and then made his way over to the closet and grabbed an extra pillow and blanket for Ginny. He made his way back over to the couch to see she wasn't there anymore. After scanning the room real quick he saw his bedroom door was open again

"Fuck," he growled out in frustration before running from the room and looking down the hall for her. "Where the hell did you go," he said out loud as he made his way downstairs.

He heard a loud bang in the kitchen and quickly ran down the hall and found Ginny rummaging through the cabinets.

"Ginny, what the fuck are you doing? You need to be quiet, my parents are sleeping and if-"

"RELAX!" she yelled out, "I'm just looking for a snack," she shrugged as she ripped the fridge open. "WOW! That's a lot of food," she giggled.

"How about we go back upstairs and I'll find you a nice snack, but you need to stay quiet," he whispered to her as he started to drag her from the kitchen.

She stopped following him and he turned to look at her and she pushed him against the counter and snaked her arms around his neck. "I could always just snack on you," she smirked before she pulled him by the collar down to meet her lips.

Draco was completely caught off guard by the kiss and everything in him wanted to throw her up on the counter and take complete advantage of her. Her kisses were hard and fierce and she had a firm grip on his shirt as she held him close to her. He suddenly pulled away and grabbed her hands and pushed her back.

"Ginny, you have to get back upstairs, you're completely wasted right now," he told her as he kept pushing her hands away from trying to kiss him again.

She just started laughing again and then she was even louder as she fell into a fit of giggles. Draco grabbed her arm and started dragging her out into the hall and again she made an advance on him, this time she tried to slide her hand in his pants.

"Gin-Ginny, stop it...you need to-"

Her lips were on him again, but he knew everything about this moment was wrong and he pushed her away once more. She fell to the floor and started laughing uncontrollably.

"You know what would be hilarious?" she laughed.

He squatted down beside her, "What's that?"

She started laughing once more before she found her voice again, "If your father cut his hair," she whispered before she erupted into another round of laughter.

Draco just shook his head and grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up, "Yeah, why don't you suggest that to him in the morning and still see if it's as funny,"

"Draco? What the hell is going on?" came Lucius' voice from down the hall, his wand tightly in his hand and Narcissa close behind him.

"Uh-"

"What happened to you? Where have you been, it's nearly five in the morning...is-is that liquor I smell?" his mother asked as she walked closer to him and quickly sniffed him. "Dammit, Draco, you smell like a drunk and why are you all wet?" she sounded outraged by the state he was in.

"Oh, we went to the beach," Ginny giggled.

Narcissa just glared at her and took in the Weaslette's current state. "Why the hell is she here?"

"I'm sorry, we just went to a party and had a few drinks, its fine, she's just going to sleep it off on the couch, right, Ginny?" he said, turning to look at her. "Where the fuck did she go?" he asked, seeing that she somehow walked off again.

Narcissa nodded to the staircase behind them, "You better go help her before she falls and cracks her head open and believe me...I'll be the one laughing. Get her to a guest room and let her sleep it off and we will discuss this further tomorrow." she said coldly.

He just nodded and quickly turned to catch up with Ginny, who was barely able to make it up the first step.

Narcissa turned around to face Lucius, who looked just as bewildered as she did by finding Draco and Ginny in their current condition. "Yeah, that's right...that's your son right there," she said, throwing her hands up in the air as she started mumbling under her breath as she went back to bed.

Lucius just gave a heavy sigh and followed his wife back to their bedroom.

Draco finally caught up with Ginny and was literally dragging her all the way to his room, but she kept laughing and making her body go completely limp. He finally gave up on dragging her and scooped her up in his arms and carried her the rest of the way. He tossed her on his bed and she just sat there quietly on the edge of the mattress with her legs hanging over the side. He noticed her sudden silence and walked closer to her.

"You should get some rest," he said.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" she asked, looking up at him.

He thought about what she had asked and he would be lying if he said he didn't have one of the best nights of his life in a long time. "The best," he said with a small smile.

She scooted closer to the edge of the bed until her body was against his as he stood in front of her. She grabbed his now loose, wrinkled tie and pulled him down to eye level before pulling him to her lips. Again, he knew it was wrong to let her continue kissing him like this, but when he felt her lean her body into his he couldn't help but grab her face with one hand to pull her closer to his. He was standing between her parted legs as she sat on the bed and he slid his hands behind her legs and pulled her against his now hard cock. He wanted nothing more than to pull her dress up and rip her panties off and just fuck her into oblivion and at one point he thought he would, but something stopped him. He suddenly pulled away and turned his head to the side table next to the couch where he once had his file, before Harry made him hand it over last night after dinner. He still felt Ginny trailing kisses all over his neck and face and he gave a soft sigh before continuing to kiss her once more.

He suddenly felt Ginny start to unbutton his pants and he quickly grabbed her hands and stopped her. "Hey, you need to sleep this off," he whispered against her face.

She just gave a wide smile and then a soft laugh before she threw herself back on the bed letting her hair sprawl all across it.

She just looked at him and rubbed his upper leg with her foot. "Are you sure you don't want to fuck me, Draco?" she seductively teased him with a smile.

He just smirked at her, "Not like this,"

"But we're just having fun, isn't that what tonight is all about," she said, before wrapping her legs around him and pulling him forward onto her.

He lost his balance against the bed and fell forward on top of her and caught himself with his hands on either side of her. She slid her hands around his waist and pulled him down onto her as she entangled one of her legs with his. Ginny rocked her hips against him as her body begged him to take advantage of her and as tempting as it was, he quickly pulled her hands off of him and quickly got up. He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly became angry with her by her constant advances that he had to keep rejecting.

"I'm going to sleep on the couch," he snapped. "GO TO FUCKIN BED, GINNY!" he yelled, before walking into the bathroom and slamming the door shut.

He turned the water on and splashed his face a few times before looking himself over in the mirror. Not only did he have the stench of booze all over him, but now he couldn't smell anything else but Ginny's scent and he quickly undressed and got into the shower. He wasn't sure if he was angry at her or himself for allowing himself to be affected the way he had been by the redhead in the other room. He scrubbed himself down from head to toe just thinking about how close he was to taking advantage of her. He wasn't exactly sure why this time was different than the other two times they had been intimate. The other times it had been just sex, just something to get their minds off of all the bullshit, but now... he had a whole new way of thinking when it came to Ginny. He felt a tremendous amount of guilt by even having any kind of love for another woman other than Astoria.

He stepped out of the shower and got dressed and made his way back into his bedroom where he found Ginny face down on his bed fast asleep; her arm hanging off the side. He walked over to her and gently picked her arm up and placed it back on the bed and then covered her with the blanket. He couldn't help but watch her sleep for a moment before he finally threw himself down on the couch and fell asleep.

Draco woke up the next morning with a pounding headache; he would have rather thrown his guts up than have to endure the throbbing pain in his head. He managed to pull himself up off the couch and took a quick glance over to Ginny, who was apparently not there at all. He assumed she must have had to get back home and left earlier.

He made his way downstairs to grab some water and the smell of food started hitting his nose. He was confused for a moment because his parents almost never had breakfast made and he immediately thought of Ginny. He picked up his pace and went to make his way towards the kitchen when he stopped by the dining room where his parents were sitting. His father was reading the paper and his mother was doing the same and they were both still in pajamas which was the most surprising thing about this whole morning. His parents always made sure they were dressed and ready for the day before they ever stepped out of their bedroom in the morning.

"Uh, what's going on?" he asked them.

"Good morning, Draco, it seems your new girlfriend wanted to make breakfast this morning. She was even nice enough to bang on our bedroom door to let us know it would be ready shortly," Lucius drawled, as he put the paper down and looked at Draco with a sarcastic smile.

"She's not my girlfriend," he snapped.

His mother just looked at him over her paper, "She's in the kitchen showing Tilly how to properly make french toast," she drawled, before turning the page.

"This is so fuckin weird," he said, taking a seat at the table and holding his head in his hands.

Narcissa noticed his head was hurting and took her wand and tapped him harder than she needed to on his head to help his hangover.

"Ouch!" he sneered at her, as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You're welcome, although after last night I should make you suffer," she said, before bringing the paper back up over her face.

"Thanks," he mumbled. He continued to watch them for a moment, "Why aren't you dressed and...and...I don't know, since when do we have breakfast-"

"And since when do we have a Weasley sleeping over and coming and going whenever she pleases?" Narcissa shrugged. "She wants to cook, let her...I can use some change this morning." she decided.

"Who are you people?" he said before he got up and made his way into the kitchen.

He stood in the doorway and just watched her for a moment as she was in deep conversation with the house elf. She suddenly looked up and caught him looking at her and she just gave a bright smile.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess...the question is how are YOU feeling? You drank A LOT last night," he said, taking a seat at the counter.

"I know, I'm sorry if I was too crazy for you," she laughed. "I normally don't drink that much, but it was all in good fun. What did you think about Pristine Point?"

"It was...it was amazing, I did forget for a few moments that my life is a living hell," he said, grabbing a piece of bacon off the plate in front of him.

Ginny just smirked at him, "Sorry I tried to rape you last night," she suddenly started laughing.

He couldn't help but give a soft laugh also, "Yeah, it was harder than you think not to go through with it." he said.

She just looked at him, "Why didn't you? It would have just been for fun," she said with a playful smile.

He just locked eyes with her for a moment and then cleared his throat, "So, looks like breakfast is just about done, I'll...uh...meet you in the dining room," he quickly said, before getting up and walking out of the kitchen.

After breakfast and Ginny doing a tremendous amount of talking, Draco's parents excused themselves after they realized she wouldn't be stopping anytime soon. Draco couldn't help but just watch her talk the entire time, she had so much energy and character, it was amusing to him to see the way she spoke to his parents. She was not intimidated by them and definitely not scared to say what was on her mind. She would speak to them as if they were best friends catching up and he knew it made his parents feel that much more uncomfortable.

"So, I was thinking...maybe you could actually give me a proper tour of this magnificent place you call home?" Ginny suggested, as she made her way down a hallway she'd never been before.

"You mean you didn't do enough exploring last night?" he teased her.

She just giggled, "Come on, show me around...do you need a map or something, I don't want us to get lost," she said, playfully slapping him on the arm.

"Ha. Ha," he said sarcastically, "Why don't you just lead the way and I'll follow," he said holding his hand out for her to go ahead.

"Oh, an even better idea," she said excitedly before she started making her way down the hall to the next door.

"That would be my father's office," Draco quickly said before she could open it.

"Oh, yeah, don't want to go in there," she laughed, as she thought about how pissed Lucius would be if he knew Draco let her in there. "Ooooh, what about in here?" she said coming up to a pair of double doors.

"It's a ballroom, for parties and shit that we obviously don't have anymore," he sighed.

She looked at him for a moment with a sad smile and then opened the doors to reveal a very dark and dusty room. There were sheets over most of the furniture and cobwebs everywhere.

"Geez, yeah, there's definitely been nothing going on in here for a while," her voice echoed throughout the room.

She closed the door and started walking to the next room over which was another set of double doors. She opened them to reveal another dusty, filled room but saw it was a music room. She stepped into the room and her eyes went to a grand piano in the middle of it being lit up by a few rays of sunlight from the window.

"Wow, you guys have all of this stuff? Does anyone in your family even play an instrument?" she scoffed.

Draco just gave a small smirk and walked over to the piano and dragged his hand along a few keys, "I do...well I used to play the piano," he shrugged.

"You? Draco Malfoy plays the piano?" Ginny laughed in surprise.

"Eh, it was nothing magnificent," he waved his hand at her.

She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face by the news of Draco's hidden talent, "Play something for me?" she asked him.

"Oh, uh, I don't think so,"

Ginny grabbed a sheet off of a nearby chair that was covered up and dusted off the seat of the piano and then the keys. "Come on," she said, sitting down on one end of the bench and patting the other side for him to sit.

Draco just stared at her, how the hell did she keep pulling him in like this, "Alright," he said taking a seat. "This may not be the best," he smirked, before pretending to crack his knuckles, making Ginny giggle.

He started off a bit rusty and had to restart once or twice, but he eventually found his niche and started playing with hardly any mistakes.

Narcissa was making her way downstairs when she heard noise coming from down one of the halls. She raised an eyebrow at the sound since nobody had been down this way for quite some time and she started walking towards it. She soon realized it was the sound of a piano from the music room and she quietly walked up outside of the door and peeked inside to see it was Draco and Ginny.

She stood in the hall with her back against the wall as she listened to her son continue to play. She couldn't help but become a bit emotional by him being inside of this particular room because the last time he played was for Astoria. Ever since she was killed, he hadn't been in there because of the many memories they shared in it. She suddenly realized just how much Ginny must mean to him for him to even enter the room at all.

Tears began to sting her eyes and she quickly covered her mouth as she slid down the wall to the floor into a silent fit of sobs. She felt so helpless in these past few years when it came to helping Draco deal with all of the suffering he had been through. She knew it was all due to Ginny's efforts to try and befriend him and get him out and drag him to every outing she went on; that was when he started to have some sort of life again.

After a few minutes she heard him stop playing and she quickly wiped her face clear of any tears and emotion and got up and walked away.

As Ginny watched Draco play she couldn't take her eyes off of him, especially his face. She felt somewhat flattered that he agreed to play at all for her and the way he played seemed to have so much emotion behind it. She felt a sudden flutter in her stomach as he took a quick glance at her as he played and she couldn't help the smile he caused her to form.

She never thought she would ever be sitting next to Draco Malfoy as he played the piano for her and what surprised her the most was the goosebumps that were covering her body as she listened and watched him. She couldn't help but think of how he made her feel every time he looked at her, every time he touched her, whether on purpose or in passing. She was always looking for some kind of adventure or some sort of adrenaline rush, but being with Draco these past few weeks seemed to have filled all of those needs and she didn't feel like she was constantly trying to fill some void all the time by putting herself in some near-death position.

The realization that she had just fallen in love with Draco Malfoy hit her hard and she suddenly became completely scared by these feelings. Sure, she knew she liked the guy, but love him? She wasn't expecting that and she most certainly wasn't ready to deal with those kind of feelings either.

He had stopped playing and just looked at her. "That's all I got," he shrugged, "It's awful, isn't it?" he scoffed at his own comment.

"It was beautiful, you're very good...I'm impressed," she said with a small smile.

Draco just gave a small laugh, "Well, then it doesn't take much to impress you I guess,"

"Um, listen, I really have to get going," she said abruptly, as she stood up and started walking towards the door. "I forgot I was supposed to do this thing with my mum, uh...I'll see you tomorrow after work?" she asked.

"Alright, are you ok?" he asked her by her sudden departure.

"Oh, definitely, I just... I have to go, I plan on grabbing my file tomorrow, so that should be quite eventful," she smirked, before heading to the front doors with him behind her.

He felt his stomach turn at her comment, he didn't have the heart to tell her that he told Harry about the files. He knew he had to mention to Harry that Ginny was there when Gregory Pines took his own life because he knew Harry would never let anything happen to her...well he hoped that was the case.

Ginny stopped outside of the front door and looked at him with a small smile, "I had fun last night,"

"Yeah, it was...definitely something I won't forget for a while," he said with a smirk.

She gave a light giggle, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow," she gave a small wave and quickly made her way through the wards and apparated back home.

Ginny had just gotten out of the shower and changed and was in the middle of brushing her hair when her mother knocked on her door. She mumbled a quick "come in" and waited for her mum's lecture. Instead of her yelling or waving her finger at her, she just sat on Ginny's bed and gave a soft sigh.

"You didn't come home last night...again," her mum said in a soft voice.

Ginny turned in her chair to look at her, "I'm sorry, Mum," she said in a small voice.

They were both quiet for a moment, "Were you with, Draco?"

Ginny looked at her mother, it almost looked like she was about to cry if Ginny decided to lie to her; it was like she already knew the answer.

"We were at a party with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and then I just crashed at his place," she decided to tell her mum the truth.

Molly didn't say anything, she just gave a slight nod that she understood.

"And no...we did not sleep together if you were wondering," Ginny went on with some amusement in her voice.

"But you have?" Molly asked.

"Mum, why does it matter? Isn't that my business? What is it with you? Is this because you want me to be with Harry?" Ginny asked, her anger suddenly rising.

"That's not what I said, Ginny."

"You don't have to say it, I know that's what you want, you THINK you know what's best for me and it's NOT Harry!"

"AND WHY NOT?" Molly yelled suddenly as she grew angry with her.

"BECAUSE HARRY ISN'T THE ONE I'M IN LOVE WITH!" she yelled out.

As soon as she heard herself say those words, she cupped her hand over her mouth as she realized what she just said and then turned away from her mother.

Molly felt all her anger disappear by Ginny's comment and she walked over to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Ginny, are you in love with, Draco Malfoy?" she softly asked.

Ginny was quiet for a while, "Yes," she finally whispered out. She suddenly turned to face her mum once more, "I think, but it doesn't matter, I'm just going to wait for these silly feelings to go away." she quickly said, waving her hand to show it wasn't anything her mum needed to be concerned about.

"Why are they silly? If you love someone, then those are genuine emotions and feelings, there is nothing silly at all about that," she said grabbing Ginny's face in her hands.

"But, Mum...Draco will NEVER feel that way about me, I'm sure you're aware of his past, it's absolutely ridiculous of me to even think this way about him," she said angrily, shaking her head at how stupid she felt.

"But, Ginny-"

"NO! Just please leave me alone, honestly, none of this even matters, and don't you even think about saying anything to Dad or Harry," she demanded.

Her mother just nodded and decided to give Ginny her space as she left her bedroom. Ginny ran her hands through her hair in frustration and gave out a growl of frustration.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, you stupid twit," she mumbled to herself.

Ginny arrived at work the next day with her head in a whirlwind, she tried so hard to keep her mind off of the blond Slytherin, but her heart wasn't letting that happen. She walked into Harry's office to find him sitting at his desk with a rather angry look on his face.

"Hey, Harry, is something wrong?" she asked, taking a seat in front of him.

He looked at her, his expression was unreadable, "Where is it?" he asked her.

She just looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Where is what?"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME, GINNY! YOUR FILE, WHERE IS IT?" he yelled, slamming his fists on his desk making her jump.

"What file?" she asked, shocked by the fact that he even mentioned it in front of her.

"I KNOW YOU KNOW THERE'S A FILE ON YOU, WHERE IS IT, IT'S GONE!" he yelled once more.

"I don't have it, I-"

"STOP LYING TO ME, GINNY, I KNOW YOU HAVE IT BECAUSE DRACO TOLD ME YOU WERE PLANNING TO STEAL IT!" he screamed at her, standing up from his desk.

Ginny felt like she had been punched in the gut when he said that, the hurt expression was obvious on her face and Harry seemed to have noticed this. He sat back down and let out a hard sigh before he looked at her once more.

"Where is it, Ginny?"

She looked at him with such malice he thought she would jump over the desk and attack him at any moment. "I don't have it, I was going to try and take it today, but... apparently you've done a great job at hiding it," she hissed at him before getting up and started for the door and then stopped and turned back to him. "Why? Why do you have a file on me, Harry? What are you hiding?"

His heart sank at the hurt in her voice. "Ginny, it's just a file on stuff from the Chamber of Secrets and from after the war, that's all," he explained.

She just shook her head, "Then why can't I get my medical files released from St. Mungo's? Why are you and my father the only two that can get them?" she snapped.

He was caught off guard by how much more she knew, "I-I don't know why you can't get them and why the hell would you even go looking for that?"

She walked back up to him and glared at him, "I know you're lying to me... and I'm going to find out what's in that file-"

"Is this a bad time?" came a voice from the doorway.

They both turned to see Will standing there.

"Sorry, I was just bringing these files back that I needed earlier, Mr. Potter," he said, placing them down on his desk. "Hey, Ginny," he said.

She just gave him a quick, annoyed smile and then her eyes went right to the pile of files he had just placed down. Her file was sitting right there on top and Harry followed her gaze to it.

"Go ahead, open it," he said.

She just looked at him, her stomach suddenly in knots as she reached forward and grabbed it. She opened it and studied the few pages that were inside and to her disbelief, Harry was telling the truth.

"What?" she said to herself.

"I told you," he said to her.

She threw the file at him and quickly left the office.

Harry gave a hard sigh as Will watched the entire scene unfold, Will picked up Ginny's file and opened it up and waved his wand over it revealing the rest of the pages that were in there.

"Thanks, for doing that for me" Harry mumbled, before taking the file back from him.

"No problem, but do you think she bought it?"

"Well, that's why I had you take the file and conceal the papers, this way it would look like I had no clue it was missing AND it would look like I didn't have time to conceal anything,"

Will just nodded. "I don't know, I think she knows something is up."

"Yeah...I think so too," Harry sighed before he grabbed her file and put the concealment charm back on it before placing it back in the cabinet.

"You know she will be devastated when she finds out what's in there," Will said to him.

Harry just plopped down in his chair again and ran his hand through his hair in frustration, "That's exactly why I don't want her to know anything about it and that's IF she finds out," he said.

"Oh...she will, I'm certain of it," Will said before leaving Harry's office.

Draco was getting lost in one the many books he had read numerous times in the past when he heard someone enter the wards of the manor. As soon as he heard that sound he looked at the clock and knew it was too early for Ginny to be here and got up and prepared himself for the argument he knew was coming. He tossed the book aside and got up and opened his door just as Ginny was getting ready to bust through it.

She was completely livid with him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tell him about the files," he quickly said before she could go off on him, but of course, it didn't stop her.

"HOW COULD YOU? WHY WOULD YOU? ARE YOU THAT SELFISH? YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED SO FUCK ME NOW?" she yelled at him and gave him a hard shove.

"No, it's not like that, Ginny,"

"AT LEAST I WOULD HAVE LOOKED AT MINE, YOU HAVE YOURS AND YOU STILL HAVE YET TO EVEN OPEN THE FUCKIN THING!" she yelled again, shoving him once more.

"I don't have it anymore, Potter made me give it back to him," he said stiffly.

"OH, EVEN BETTER!" she went to shove him again and he grabbed her arms to stop her.

"GINNY, HE KNOWS ABOUT GREGORY PINES!" he shouted out.

She just looked at him, her eyes wide, "What?"

"He knows that I was there and they found him dead AND my file had been stolen, how do you think that's going to look?" he said, throwing her arms down and then walking over to the couch.

"Pines took his own life, so-"

"So nothing, Potter agreed to cover the whole thing up ONLY because I told him you were with me. That is why I told him about the files and that you took them because I knew he wouldn't do anything that would fall on you," he said, looking at her.

Ginny just looked at him, "So you threw me under the bus to save your own arse?"

"Actually, it was more for your benefit, your hands are all over those files, believe me, if other people got involved, we both would be in Azkaban right now, I did you a favor, Weasley, so chill the fuck out,"

She just glared at him and then gave a hard sigh before plopping down on the couch beside him. "Well, nothing matters now, we have no files-"

"Actually," Draco reached over into his side table and pulled out a file that looked exactly like his, "Remember you had trouble replicating my file? Well, before I gave it back to Potter I asked my mother for a favor," he said with a smirk, holding the file up.

Ginny couldn't help but smile at the news, "How did she manage that?"

"Um, hello...she's MY mother, you know she hardly broke a sweat overriding any spells that were on it," he shrugged. "I guess now we need to think of another way to get your file, I'm sure Potter won't have you working for him anymore," he said, giving her an apologetic look.

She just shrugged, "It doesn't matter anymore, I already saw what was in it,"

"WHAT? WHEN?" he asked, surprised she didn't lead off with that information.

"This morning when Harry thought I stole it, there's nothing in it...just stuff from the Chamber and statements and shit from the war," she sighed with disappointment, slouching down on the couch.

"And you're upset about that?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She just looked at him, "I don't know, it just doesn't make sense...these people know who I am AND it still doesn't explain why St. Mungos won't release my medical records to me."

Draco sat there for a moment, he remembered the look on Harry's face when he thought for a second that Ginny had seen what was in her file. There was no way that was the only thing in there.

He shook his head and looked at Ginny, "You're right, it doesn't add up, he must have done something with the rest of the file...when I told him that you knew about your file, it scared the shit out of him. Whatever it is, it's big and I think he's afraid that you're going to get hurt by what's in it," he said in a soft voice as she stared at him.

She suddenly got up, "I need to go back to work,"

"Work? Um, I think you're going to be out of a job after today," Draco joked.

"I don't care, I'll do whatever I have to so I can get my hands on my file," she said, making her way out his room.

"What do you mean by "whatever you have to"?" he called out to her.

She just turned and gave him a smirk before walking down the hall.

Harry was going through Malfoy's case file when he heard a knock on his door and looked up to see Ginny standing there.

"Oh, look, it's my own little thief, I'm looking at Draco's file right now, did you want to maybe try and slip it out from under me when I turn my back?" he asked sarcastically.

She bit her lip to stop herself from insulting him and then just walked into the office, "I'm sorry, I know that I shouldn't have stolen from you and although my real reasoning for wanting this job was to steal those files...I was hoping you would forgive me and give me a second chance?" she looked at him with hopeful eyes.

He just looked at her with a wide smile, "Absolutely I'll give you your job back, here, why don't you just sit right here and finish going through this file for me. Also, let me open this drawer right here and let you choose which one you want to take home with you tonight. OH, I know, it could be like a library, you could just check out which ones you want to look at-"

"Alright, Harry, I get it," she said, rolling her eyes at his sarcasm. "So I'm out of a job then?"

He looked at her and shook his head, "No, you could still be an assistant," he said.

She gave a small smile, "Really?"

"Yep," he said, before getting up and opening his office door, "MR. CHAMBERLAIN, CAN YOU COME SEE ME FOR A MOMENT," he called out across the hall.

Ginny looked at him and jumped out of her seat, "You're not serious are you?" she asked.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?" came Will's voice as he appeared in the doorway.

"I just wanted to introduce you to your new assistant," he said, nodding towards Ginny.

"Oh, splendid, I have a lot of catching up to do so I could really use the help," Will said happily.

Ginny just glared at Harry, who had a rather pleased smile on his face.

"Shall we get started, then?" Will said, leading the way to his office.

As Ginny followed him she stopped in front of Harry, "I hate you, Harry Potter," she said through clenched teeth.

"And I know how cunning you can be...Ginny Weasley," he said with a smile.

She just glared at him once more before dragging her feet the rest of the way to Will's office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOOO what did you think? How is everyone liking the story so far? What do you guys hope to see happen in this fic? I already know how the story will end but its still nice to hear what the readers want? Remember, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy the next chapter!!! Also to anyone who reviews my story, I have been responding back to everyone! So hopefully you guys are seeing my responses =D
> 
> Now, to the story...

Over the next few days Will had been keeping Ginny pretty busy as his assistant, she hardly had time after work to go to Draco's or to even snoop around. He barely left his office and had been bringing his own lunch so he didn't even leave for a lunch break. She managed to stop by Draco's the other day, but they didn't even talk about the file they were supposed to be going through, instead Ginny spent most of her time there complaining about Will.

She was also keeping a bit of distance from Draco in hopes that her feelings for him would simply go away, but instead, she just missed being around him. She wanted to slap herself whenever she thought about him in such a way like he would ever feel that way about her. He had too much of his own shit he was going through to even think of her in any way other than some annoying twit.

She also had barely spoken to Harry since their argument and since he made her Will's new assistant. She knew Cho was now working in his office and she made sure to keep her distance from seeing her or him. She was starting to give up altogether on getting her hands on her file, especially for the last two days; she had been staying later to catch up on everything Will wanted her to do. As charming and handsome as he was, he was completely different when it came to his work, he was a lot more serious and would never allow her to slack off. It seemed like she had a permanent headache since she started working for Will, it was so unbearable sometimes that she thought she might throw her guts up.

Will had finally left the office for a lunch break today and she was taking this opportunity to snoop around. Everything was so neat and organized it just made her so angry that she didn't even want to snoop around anymore. She wasn't even sure why she would be looking around his office in the first place. Sure, he had taken a few files from Harry that one day to maybe help out on a case or whatever, but from what Ginny could tell, none of the files she needed or wanted were even in his office...they were all in Harry's.

She just gave a frustrated sigh and sat back down and soon Will was walking through the door again. "Goodie, you're back," she said sarcastically. She then noticed he wasn't alone.

"Ginny, this is my younger brother, Joseph," he said, gesturing to his equally handsome brother.

"Oh, hi, I'm Gin-"

"Ginny? Yes, my brother has told me a lot about you," he said, shaking her hand.

"Oh, has he now? How sweet," she said with a smile. "And kind of creepy," she mumbled to herself.

"I have to go see Kingsley for a moment, but sit Joe, why don't you two get acquainted in the meantime," said Will as he pulled out a seat for his brother.

Will left the office and Joseph took a seat across from Ginny and flashed her a handsome smile. "So how long have you worked with Will?" he asked her.

"Oh, I've only actually been "his" assistant for a few days, but before that, I was Harry's assistant just down the hall, but we met a few weeks ago," she explained. She looked at him again, "You look so familiar, have we met before because I feel like I know you from somewhere?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows a bit.

"I don't think so, I'm sure I'd remember meeting Ginny Weasley," he said with a smile. "But I do know who you are."

"Excuse me?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"The Holyhead Harpies? Weren't you a seeker?" he said, some excitement in his voice.

Ginny just smiled at his comment, it had been a very long time since anyone recognized her from her Quidditch days. "Yes, I started as a Chaser and then later became a Seeker,"

"You were pretty brilliant out there," he said.

She smiled again at him, "Thanks, you were that much of a fan of an all witch Quidditch team?"

"Nah, not that much, I just happen to have seen a few games, remember when you won that game by catching that snitch in your hair?" he laughed.

Ginny started laughing, "Oh my gosh, YES! It took me almost an hour to get that thing out of my hair," she said, as they both fell into a fit of laughter. "At one point I tried to Accio it out and it just made it worse," she continued to laugh and then started to rub her forehead.

"Are you alright?" he asked her when he saw her pained expression.

"Oh yeah, I've just had this headache for a few days now," she shrugged, waving her hand. "So, what brings you here to the Ministry today?"

"Will and I just have some personal business we need to discuss, he's always either working or off doing something so I just decided to bother the damn bloke on his lunch break,"

"Wonder what kind of "stuff" he's off doing, he seems like a be home by eight and in bed by ten kind of guy," she joked, making them both laugh.

"Alright, sorry about that," came Will's voice as he entered his office again. "Hopefully, you two had a chance to get acquainted,"

"We sure did," Joe said, flashing Ginny a smile. "I might come visit you at work more often if she's going to be here," he said to Will and then looked at Ginny again.

Ginny just shook her head with a slight smirk and went back to her work.

"Quit while you're ahead, Joseph, I believe Ginny is already seeing someone... Draco Malfoy I believe, isn't that right?" said Will, looking at Ginny with a smug look on his face.

She locked eyes with him at his comment, "No, we are just friends," she snapped, glaring at him.

"Oh, well my apologies then,"

"Is it true? Are you really friends with that piece of garbage?" Joe asked with a chuckle.

"Excuse me?" Ginny asked, her anger suddenly rising.

"Draco Malfoy and his despicable family should rot in Azkaban for eternity. The whole lot of them are nothing more than cowards and murderers," Joe said with disgust.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Ginny yelled, standing up suddenly.

Will and Joe just looked at her and then Joe started to laugh at her sudden outburst.

"Don't get all bent out of shape love, sometimes the truth hurts," Joe shrugged.

Ginny was livid, she was just about to hex him into oblivion when she suddenly felt Will's hand on her shoulder to stop her from doing anything stupid.

"Joseph, perhaps we should talk after I get off later?" Will suggested.

"Of course, nice meeting you...Ginny," he said to her as he gave a quick wink.

He got up and left Will's office and Ginny turned to Will and just glared at him. "Your brother is an asshole," she spat, pacing around the office as she tried to calm down. Her head was completely throbbing at this point, she thought it would split open at any moment.

"Honestly, Ginny, not everyone needs to feel the same way that you do about the Malfoys. They have a rather dark past and not everyone can forget that they once served Voldemort... are you sure you haven't forgotten that also?" he asked her, his tone serious.

She just looked at him with a sneer, "Screw you," she said through clenched teeth as she seethed with rage.

She turned and got ready to storm out of his office.

"Ginny, wait," he called out to her.

"WHAT?" she yelled out.

"Your nose...you're bleeding," he gestured to her face.

She quickly brought her hand up to her nose and felt the warm liquid against her face and looked at her blood covered hand. She just shot him a quick glare before storming off to the bathroom.

Once she reached the bathroom, she grabbed a bunch of tissues and balled them up against her nose. She just stood there and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked a bit paler than normal and she could feel that familiar dizziness kicking in. She quickly splashed some water on her face and washed away the blood from her nose that thankfully had finally stopped bleeding.

She locked herself in one of the stalls and just sat on one of the toilets until her dizzy spell passed. As she sat there holding her head, she fought the urge not to throw her guts up as the room started to spin.

"Fuck, what the hell is wrong with me?" she growled out through clenched teeth.

Before she could try and figure out a way to not pass out in the bathroom, she was surrounded by complete darkness.

Ginny opened her eyes and blinked them a few times until they adjusted to the dark room she was in. She felt something cold against her cheek and then felt a pain in her shoulder. She started to move and realized she was still in the stall at the Ministry and her face was laying against the stall wall. Her shoulder was cramped from her lying in an odd position for what seemed like hours. She winced a bit in pain as her sore body stood up and then she rubbed her head at the slight throbbing feeling she still had.

She stumbled out of the stall and realized it was definitely night time and everyone was gone. She made her way down the hall back to Chamberlain's office when she saw there was a light on still in someone's office. She soon saw it was coming from Harry's office and she walked up to the slightly opened door and peeked her head in to see Harry rummaging through a bunch of files.

"Harry?"

He jumped in surprise when he heard her voice. "Ginny? What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, walking over to her. "Shit, are you ok? What happened?" he has his hands on her body and face checking her out head to toe to make sure she wasn't injured.

She looked at her shirt to see all the blood that had dripped on it from earlier and then looked at him, "I...I'm fine, I just had a dizzy spell earlier and-"

"WHAT? Here, sit down," he said, dragging a chair over to her and helping her sit.

"Harry, I'm fine, honestly," she said.

He was kneeling beside her, staring at her with worry and concern. "Gin, this seems to be an ongoing issue...what's going on?"

"You're making too much out of this, honestly, Will has just been overworking me a bit and I've just been really tired... I should have just slowed down, it's fine...really it is," she assured him.

He looked at her again for a few more moments before he gave a small nod. She knew he felt guilty for sending her off to be Will's assistant, this was the first time they really had spoken since that day.

"Why are you here so late, Harry?" she asked, nodding to the files he had been rummaging through. As she asked him this she also saw he looked like hell; he had dark circles under eyes and a few cuts and scrapes on his face and a rather large gash on his forearm. "What happened to you?"

He sat down in his chair and gave a hard sigh before rubbing his face and then looking at her. "You want the truth?"

"Obviously, are you actually going to tell me it?" she asked, sarcastically.

"Well, as I'm sure you've probably figured out by now, I'm working on Draco's case again. Kingsley wanted it to be done and over with, but..." he trailed off as he got lost in his thoughts for a moment. "Anyway, Chamberlain had agreed to help me with it even though he knows we both risk our jobs by even deciding to open this case again under Kingsley's nose."

"Why Chamberlain of all people? He doesn't even like Draco or any of the Malfoys. Not to mention his brother would love to see the whole lot of them in Azkaban, you don't think that's weird that he of all people are that willing to help Draco?"

"There are a lot of people that would love to see the Malfoys in Azkaban, but Chamberlain doesn't care about that, he just likes to see justice served, regardless of the history with the Malfoys. Chamberlain was the one who helped me cover up the whole Gregory Pines mess, if he wanted Draco in Azkaban he could've done something then."

Ginny was surprised to hear that. "Why did you decide to open his case again all of a sudden?"

"I wouldn't say it was all of a sudden, I've been working on this for a while now... Draco just doesn't know it and I didn't want him to know because he became a complete lunatic the last time. He wasn't thinking smart only looking for revenge...and as much as I agree with that, with these particular people you need to be level-headed."

"We could help you with-"

"NO! That isn't happening, neither of you are getting involved."

"Harry, relax, why can't we just look through these damn files with you?" she shrugged.

"Because, Ginny, then things like Gregory Pines happen, that's why" he said angrily.

"Is that why you're all beat up? Is that how you hurt your hand the other day and why you were suddenly working out of the office? Harry, whoever these people are you won't be able to stop them alone... let us help you."

"I'm fine-"

"YEAH UNTIL YOU GET YOURSELF KILLED!" she yelled at him. "Gregory Pines KILLED HIMSELF without hesitation when he saw Draco and me there. Do you really want to go up against these kind of people alone? Pines knew we were going there, it was a trap, just like that day in Hogsmeade."

Harry looked at her for a few seconds, his expression saddened, "Ginny, did Pines say anything to you when you were there?"

She looked at him, her expression hardened, "He was surprised to see I was alive," she said simply, leaning back in her chair, hoping Harry would explain why he would've said that to her. "Any reason why that would be?"

He locked eyes with her. "I have no idea," he said firmly.

She just scowled at him and then stood up, "Yeah, I'm sure," she said through clenched teeth as she stormed out of his office.

After leaving Harry's office Ginny contemplated going to see Draco and tell him what Harry was up to. She eventually decided against it and to just go home because she still had this throbbing headache and she was still trying to have her new found love for him to subside. She saw the kitchen light was still on, which meant her mum was probably making a cup of tea like she routinely did. She gave a groan of frustration as she knew she was going to have to explain to her mum where she had been all evening.

She opened the door to see not only her mum having a cup of tea, but George was there as well. She saw her mum's eyes go straight to the blood on her shirt and before she went into a frenzy Ginny put her hand up to stop her.

"Mum, it was just a nosebleed, so calm down. Yes, I'm feeling fine, no I don't have a fever or a cough or an itch of any kind. It was just a nosebleed," she quickly said.

"Are you sure, you're alr-"

"YES!" Ginny cut her off.

Her mother nodded and then gave her a small smile, "Why are you coming home so late?" she asked as she started making Ginny a cup of tea.

Ginny locked eyes with George for a moment and quickly looked away. "Just...work stuff," she shrugged.

"At this hour?" her mum asked.

"Yes, Mum, at this hour," she said sarcastically, rubbing the side of her head.

"You watch that attitude Ginevra, or I'll give you a nosebleed,"

"Sorry, Mum," she mumbled.

"Here, I'm going to bed," she said, handing Ginny her tea, "Why don't you talk to George while you drink your tea," she said with a smile before giving them both a kiss on the cheek and going upstairs.

Ginny and George sat there in silence for a few minutes and then George suddenly got up, "I should get going, I guess," he said.

He was halfway to the door,"Hey, George?" Ginny called out to him.

He stopped when he heard his name leave her mouth and he just looked at her.

"Can...can I talk you about something?"

He quickly sat back down and looked at her again,"Of course, anything," he said, surprised she was even speaking to him more than she had to.

She just looked at him, a part of her wanted to run from the room as she stared into his eyes. She looked down at the table. "Uh, never mind, it's stupid and it's probably the last thing you want to discuss." she scoffed at herself.

"Gin, it's fine, we never talk so I'll be happy with whatever it's about."

"I think...I'm in love with someone, but...it's absolutely ridiculous to even think about. I'm trying so hard to ignore these feelings...what's wrong with me?" she asked, starting to laugh at how stupid she sounded.

She buried her face in her arms on the table and just gave a long groan.

"I don't think anything is wrong with you, Gin, you know believe it or not...people fall in love with other people," he smirked at her.

She looked at him and gave a small smile, "I don't know why I'm even telling you this, you can leave now if you want," she gestured for him to leave and then held her head in her hands.

"Relax, it's fine, I think it's easier for you to just talk to me about this particular stuff rather than..." he trailed off.

They both became quiet again.

"So you're talking about Draco right?" he asked her.

She popped her head up to look at him with a sneer, "NO" she snapped.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"OK, YES IT IS!" she growled out in frustration and then buried her face in her hands."Is it that obvious?" she mumbled through her hands.

"When you guys are in the same room, then yes, it is, well for those of us that know you anyway," he explained. "That day at the wedding it was pretty obvious and that was before the rumors about you guys sleeping together started going around," he said, trying not to laugh.

She just looked at him and gave a small laugh also. "Ok, well...how do I stop it?"

"Stop what exactly?"

"How do I stop loving him?" she asked.

He just stared at her, "I...I don't think you do, Gin."

Those words hit her harder than she thought they would, she felt bad for even discussing something like this of all things with George. After she hadn't spoken to him, or hardly acknowledged him for years and here she was telling him that she was in love with Draco Malfoy, someone whose family once served Voldemort. She thought of Fred as she locked eyes with her brother and she felt her stomach twist into a knot.

"I should go to bed," she quickly said, getting up and walking towards the living room. "Night" she mumbled before heading upstairs.

The next day at work Ginny was ready to strangle Will, she couldn't stand him much longer and thought she would just storm out of there and forget that job altogether. He kept asking her to do a million and one things and half of the stuff was unnecessary, she thought at one point he was doing it on purpose. She couldn't wait for lunch to come because even if he didn't leave for it, she was going to make sure she did just so she could get away from him for a little while. She had even planned to have Harry make something up to get her out of Will's office for a few hours, but Cho said he didn't show up for work yet.

She just felt so irritated lately, she almost felt like she was going through Draco withdrawals. She had been trying to put distance between them so that she could attempt to try and forget her feelings for him but it just made her miss him more.

"Ginny, where did you put the Peterson file? I can't find it anywhere." Will asked, as he rummaged through one of the file cabinets.

"First off, stop making a bloody mess because I just organized this damn cabinet," she said, slamming the drawer closed almost on his hands. "And second, it's alphabetized like every other file, so maybe if you pull your head out of your arse you would see that," she said sarcastically, as she whipped open another drawer and pulled the file out for him.

"Wow, someone's grumpy this morning," he teased her.

She just glared at him and then suddenly her mind went back to her conversation with Harry last night. "So, Will, you know, since we're working together now, I was thinking maybe we should get to know each other a little better?" she suggested.

He gave a light laugh, "First, you nearly bite my head off with that temper of yours and now you want to get to know each other better? What are you up to, Ginny?" he asked, taking a seat at his desk.

"I'm not up to anything, I just feel like you know a whole lot more about me than I do you and it kind of bothers me," she shrugged.

He leaned forward and folded his hands, "I think that's a lie, you really could care less to know a single thing about me."

"That's not true...I think maybe I just didn't give you a fair chance to win me over,"

"Are you suggesting another date?" he asked with a smirk.

"Maybe," she said slowly, she wasn't sure why she was taking this route, but she wanted to know more about Will. She thought she might be able to get close enough to him to get her hands on her file again.

"How do you think Draco would feel about that?" he asked her.

"I don't think he would care since we are nothing more than friends,"

He just stared at her as he contemplated her words, "Alright, I'll play along for now, but I might not be as much of a gentleman this time," he said, before getting up from his desk and leaving the office.

As soon as Will left the office, she laid her head down on the desk and gave out a frustrated growl, "UGH! Why do you keep getting yourself into these predicaments?"

Ginny couldn't wait to get home, all she wanted to do was have this day come to an end. As soon as Will got back from his lunch break earlier, he kept talking to her like they were best buds. She wanted to take a Bombarda curse to the face after spending the entire day with him up her arse. She could already smell her mother's cooking through the back door as she walked into the kitchen.

"Oh my gosh, it's so good to be home," she groaned, as she plopped down at the kitchen table.

"Well, it's certainly nice to hear that from you," Molly said with a smile. "I know you just got home sweetie, but dinner will be ready shortly, so go wash up," she said, waving her hand for Ginny to go upstairs.

Ginny just gave a small smile and then dragged herself through the living room door and then went to walk upstairs when a voice cut through the room.

"So you are alive?"

Her head snapped over to the corner of the living room where she saw Draco standing and all of a sudden all those feelings she had been working on for days to try and push aside came rushing back. The biggest smile spread across her face as soon as she laid eyes on him.

"Your mother invited my family for dinner, but they had plans so I-"

He was cut off suddenly when she ran over to him and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. Every single thing she loved about Draco Malfoy filled her completely, his scent, the feel of his body against hers...everything. After realizing what she was doing, she quickly pulled away and look at him.

"Sorry, I've just had a horrible day," she said, looking at the floor.

Draco was caught off guard by her warm welcome and he definitely didn't mind it. When he saw her first walk through the door, he wanted to grab her and snog her senseless. The only reason he even decided to show up still even though his parents couldn't make it, was just to see Ginny. He hadn't seen her in a few days and he missed the living hell out of her.

He just stared into her eyes, fuck...she was gorgeous he thought before he snapped out of it. "So, what happened today?" he asked, following her upstairs as she started talking.

"Will is just annoying, I hate working for him, I can't even get to Harry's office to try and grab my file to see what's really in there. He is like my damn tail, everywhere I am, he is, everything I do, he's over my shoulder making sure I'm doing it correctly. I want to seriously punch this guy out." she groaned, throwing herself back onto her bed.

Draco walked into her bedroom and looked around the small room, "The last time I was in here you were hung over and nearly naked," he smirked at her.

She propped herself up on her bed and gave a soft giggle before getting up and grabbing a change of clothes. She closed the door and started to get changed.

"Um, I'm in here you know," Draco said as she went to take her top off.

"You've seen me naked before, so what's the problem?" she asked.

"Yes, but I was occupied with other things at that time, there was more happening than just you being naked, this-this is different, you're just... there all naked-"

Before he could finish his sentence she pulled her top off and threw a T-shirt on and then slid her skirt off before pulling on a pair of jeans. "There, all done, relax."

"That was too fast, I barely got to see anything, can you do it again?" he joked.

Ginny threw her pillow at him that slammed into her vanity and knocked half of her stuff on the floor. They both laughed before Draco helped her pick it all up. She just stared at him for a moment, she really wanted nothing more than to grab him and kiss him. She really was amazed at just how quickly all her frustrations of the week faded as soon as she saw his face.

"It's really good to see you, Draco," she suddenly said.

He was surprised to hear those words from her and wasn't sure what to say.

"Um, you know I just mean because I haven't had a chance to get over to your place, so, I didn't want you to think I was avoiding you or...anything." she quickly said, before she cleared her throat. "Um, dinner is probably ready by now, why don't you go-"

"Uh, yeah, sure...I'll see you down there," he said, before he quickly made his way downstairs.

She waited until he was gone before she buried her face in her hands and let out a muffled scream.

Ginny finally made her way downstairs to dinner and took a seat next to Draco and then took a quick glance around the table.

"Where's Harry, Mum?"

"I'm not sure, dear, I haven't seen him since yesterday morning," she said, taking a seat at the table.

She leaned in closer to Draco, "Harry wasn't at work today either," she whispered.

He just looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, Dad, do you know why Harry wasn't at work today?"

"No, dear, I didn't realize he wasn't in today, why?" said Arthur, joining them at the dinner table.

Ginny just gave him a smile, "Just curious," she shrugged.

Ginny was in a rush at this point to finish dinner so she could fill in Draco about the conversation she had with Harry last night. She wondered if Harry went to check out a suspect, or some other place that had to do with Draco's case. Ginny's parents were mostly talking about how her fathers day at work went and they would occasionally make conversation with her and Draco. Before her parents could get into another conversation with either of them, she excused herself with Draco and they went out to the back porch.

She took a seat at her usual spot on the steps and patted the spot beside her for him to sit.

"So why is it such a big deal that Potter didn't go to work?" he asked her.

Ginny started telling Draco about the conversation she had with Harry last night and by his expression, she could tell he was somewhat surprised by some of it.

"Well, we figured the case was opened again after that Hogsmeade incident, but he said he's been working on it for a while now...I wonder why Chamberlain agreed to help, that scumbag can't stand me," Draco scoffed.

"I said the same thing, but Harry seems to trust him and Harry said he even helped him cover up the whole Pines thing," Ginny explained.

"Well, I don't." Draco sneered.

"Same, that's why I'm going on another date with the bloody wanker," Ginny sighed.

Draco snapped his head up at her comment, "Oh, another date, huh?" he asked, trying to make it sound casual, even though he felt like he was just punched in the gut.

"I just want to get some info out of him, I'm dreading the damn thing. I figured if he trusts me enough, he might tell me more than he should and maybe I can even persuade him to get my file for me," she explained. She saw Draco just give a nod and didn't really have anything else to say about it. "Are you...upset about the date?" she suddenly asked him.

He started to laugh, "Why the hell would I be upset?" he asked, looking at her with a bit of a sneer.

She just smirked at him, "No reason...you know we should go on a date," she blurted out suddenly.

"What?" he asked. He already heard what she said, but hearing the words leave her mouth was the last thing he expected.

"You know, a date? I just figured since the entire world knows that we're sleeping together," she teased.

They both just laughed.

"Yeah, I'm not really the date night kind of guy, can't we just stick to fuck sessions?" he asked, receiving a hard slap on the arm from Ginny.

"Yeah, I'm not really a date kind of girl myself, I much rather go to Pristine Point and drink and dance with you again," she said, looking at him with a giant smirk.

"Alright, but if you try to rape me again...I'm going to let you," he said.

"This time, I'll make sure you're the one who gets shit faced drunk,"

"Ok, I guess we'll see," he said, locking eyes with her for a moment.

What he really wanted to say was that every time he looked at her he had to refrain from wanting to stick his tongue down her throat and rip her clothes off and screw her brains out. Little did he know that Ginny was thinking the exact same thing.

The next morning the first place Ginny headed before Chamberlain's office was to Harry's office. She gave a quick knock and then opened the door to see Cho already hard at work. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the sight of her.

"Good morning, Ginny," she said happily.

"Morning," Ginny drawled. "Is Harry in?"

"I haven't seen him yet, is there something I can help you with?"

"No, it's fine, when was the last time you saw him?" Ginny asked.

"The last time he was at work, why what's wrong?" Cho asked, her expression turned to one of concern.

"Oh, nothing, I just needed to talk to him about something, just let him know I was looking for him if he comes in," she said with a small smile.

Ginny made her way down the hall and walked into Chamberlain's office. "Will, do you know where Harry is?"

"Well, good morning to you too," he chuckled.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"No, I would assume in his office, but judging by your question I'm guessing not,"

"How do you not know where he is? You guys are working on Draco's case together did he go somewhere?"

He just looked at her, "He told you that?"

"Uh...maybe, why?" she asked, regretting saying anything at all.

He stared at her for a moment with a hard look, "No reason, just curious, he shares a lot more than he should with you," he said.

"What does that mean?" she snapped.

"It means nothing, it's just a simple statement. You like to get into trouble so with that being said... he shares more than he should with you,"

"Whatever, I'm going to check his place and see if he's there," she said, getting ready to leave the office.

"What about your work?" Will asked.

"Seriously, Will? It can wait, what are you going to do, fire me? Because do me the fuckin favor"

"Is it that bad to work for me?" he laughed.

"Pft, the worst, but don't worry, I'll be back I guess," she joked.

"You know, what if Mr. Potter is just simply sick and you're making a bigger deal out of nothing?" Will suggested.

She just looked at him, maybe he was right, but she just had a feeling it was something else. She quickly turned on her heel and left the office before apparating to Harry's flat.

Ginny made her way through the building and up to the floor Harry's flat was on and was walking down the hall when she realized it had been a while since she was last here. She and Harry used to have their own place and she remembered when they had split up and Harry first moved here. She had only been here a handful of times and walking up to his door made her think back to those difficult memories.

As she approached his door, she saw that it was already halfway opened and she peeked her head inside. "Harry?" she called out.

She pushed the door open the rest of the way and made her way inside and saw his place was completely trashed. There was broken glass all over and debris everywhere she looked, it was obvious there was some sort of altercation that took place. She quickly pulled out her wand and had a firm grip on it as she made her way into the next room.

"HARRY?" she called out louder.

She snapped her head over to one of the rooms up ahead where she heard movement and started making her way towards it. She pushed the bedroom door open and made her way inside and didn't see anyone.

"Harry?"

She suddenly heard someone behind her and as she turned to see who it was, she felt someone hit her hard. She stumbled backward onto the bed and then quickly rolled off as the attacker came at her again. She noticed he had his wand in one hand and a knife in the other, just like Gregory Pines did when he attacked her and Draco. He also had a hoodie on and a simple black plastic mask on.

"Where's Harry?" she asked him with anger seething through her as she pointed her wand at him and he did the same.

"He's dead," he said.

Ginny felt her heart sink, "YOU'RE LYING!" She yelled.

"Am I?" he said with a laugh, as he swung his blade at her.

She jumped back from it, but he swung it again and she felt it slice into her upper arm. She barely had any time to take in the new flesh wound as he backhanded her and she fell into the nightstand and hit her head on the corner. She quickly got to her feet as she blocked out the pain, but he slammed her against the wall and had his hands tightly around her throat. She started to panic as she realized she dropped her wand and her feet were barely touching the floor anymore. There was nothing around for her to grab as she searched frantically with her hands and she started to see her vision become blurry. Just as she was about to black out from the lack of oxygen, she heard a voice ring out.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! Leave her for now, let's go,"

Ginny felt the man release her and she fell to the floor gasping for air and coughing violently. She tried to get up, but her body wouldn't let her; she tried again and managed to get halfway up and then fell against the wall and then to the floor again. She tried to fight to stay conscious, but the harder she fought, the more the darkness surrounded her and soon she was completely engulfed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright...your thoughts? Come on baby, give me those reviews! I love them!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! I'm sorry if you guys are waiting too long for chapters. I am trying to get out one to two chapters a week, but I work a fulltime job also so I'm trying to keep you guys happy, lol! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

She fought to open her eyes and blinked a few times to try and focus her vision, but every time she made any kind of movement with her face, a shooting pain shot through her head. She felt a cool breeze coming through the broken window beside her and she turned her head to see the night sky. Ginny finally managed to pull herself up into a sitting position and saw she was still in Harry's flat. She brought her hand up to her head and winced in pain as she felt the large gash across it. She slid her tongue over the cut on her lip where she was hit and felt a burning sensation.

She pulled herself up off the floor and leaned against the wall and went to produce a Lumos charm when she realized she was still missing her wand. She felt around for it near the bed and finally felt it beneath her foot and bent down to grab it. She felt a wave of nausea come over her and she stumbled into Harry's bathroom and threw up in the sink. She rinsed her mouth out with some water and felt around for the light switch and flipped it on. She wanted to look in the mirror and assess the injuries she had, but she hesitated for a moment before she finally picked her head up and looked at herself.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the amount of blood she was covered in, "Fuck," she choked out, her voice cracked with emotion as she realized how horrible she looked. She saw her neck was severely bruised from being almost choked to death and she had a cut on her cheek and lip from when she was slapped. She didn't even bother to look at the cut on her arm from the knife, she knew she was a complete mess.

She just stared at herself again in the mirror and shook her head in disbelief, "Shit, what the hell is wrong with you, Ginny," she mumbled to herself as she fought to keep her emotions under control.

Her head wound was bleeding again and she knew she had to get some sort of help, but she didn't dare show up to her house like this. She didn't want to show up at the Malfoys like this either and she even contemplated going to Will's, but she didn't really trust the guy.

"Just think for a second," she whispered to herself. She glanced over at the clock that was on the floor near the end table and saw it was a little past six. She started to shake her head in annoyance with her decision, "Perfect, just in time for dinner," she said to herself and quickly apparated to Malfoy Manor.

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She landed outside of the wards around the manor and growled out in pain, grabbing her head, she fell to her knees as she became dizzy. She managed to pull herself up and make her way to the front door, she stopped suddenly and thought about if this was the right place to go. Every time something wrong happened, she ended up here and she wasn't sure why she kept coming here when she should just go to her parents. She hated to worry them the way she did sometimes and she knew how her mother would overreact to almost every situation. For this particular situation, she thought her mum would react just right, but she couldn't bring herself to scare her mother like that.

Ginny caught her reflection in one of the small windows of the manor and let out a shaky breath as she thought back to her attack. She remembered what the man said about Harry and she couldn't even imagine him being dead. Pulling herself together as much as she could, she rang the doorbell and shortly as always, Tilly answered the door.

"Miss Weasley......you're hurt," she squeaked out.

"I know, Tilly, I need to come in," she said in a hoarse voice.

Tilly nodded and let her inside and led her to the dining room.

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Draco found himself pushing his food around once again with his mind only on one thing.......Ginny fuckin Weasley. Hearing about her going on another date with Chamberlain bothered him more than he would ever admit. He knew Ginny was just doing it to get some info out of him, he didn't really think she was at all interested in the guy, but he was handsome and he was bloody charming.

"Something on your mind, Draco?" Lucius asked, watching him get lost in deep thought.

"Oh, no, not really," he said, "Nothing new anyway," he mumbled to himself.

"Are you sure there's not a certain redhead on your mind?" Narcissa asked.

Draco just glared at her, "Honestly, Mother-" he stopped when they heard someone enter the wards.

"Speak of the devil," Narcissa drawled.

Draco assumed it was Ginny that was here and was a bit surprised she was coming over, she normally would have come earlier, but he learned to expect anything when it came to her.

"At this rate, we might as well just make one of the guest rooms into a permanent room for her," Narcissa sarcastically suggested, taking a rather large gulp of wine as she prepped for Ginny's visit.

Draco just shook his head, although he would rather have her just move into his room with him with how much he longed for her lately. His mind was on Ginny so much lately that he hadn't even looked at his file at all and he felt guilty for it. He wanted to so much to get vengeance for Astoria, but the fact that the Weaslette was invading his mind night and day was posing a problem.

"Draco?"

He turned his head to the dining room doorway when he heard the sound of her voice hit his ears and before he knew what was happening he had her in his arms. Her face was cupped between his hands as he looked her over and then he locked eyes with hers.

"Ginny, what- who......" he couldn't find his words, he could only think about the state of which she was in.

Once Ginny felt Draco's hands hit her body, she felt like she could breathe again, she felt safe. She just stared at him as he started asking her questions about what happened, but everything was muffled. She just kept staring at him, into those icy gray eyes that seemed to pierce right into hers. She felt Narcissa by her side also, sitting her down and wasting no time on addressing her injuries; she was also asking her something but for some reason, she couldn't speak. She had found this peaceful, blissful moment as she just watched Draco in front of her. The concern he had for her, the way his touch sent these shockwaves of emotions through her, everything at the moment just seemed to be in slow motion.

She suddenly started hearing this high pitched ringing in her ears as she thought back to the possibility of Harry being dead. She couldn't accept that, she wouldn't, she didn't even know how she would even begin to deal with something like that, she hadn't even dealt with her own brother Fred's death and now...Harry. The ringing became deafening at this point and she found herself just staring off into space as she feared the worst.

"GINNY!"

She suddenly was snapped back into reality and the ringing stopped, and she turned to the person that called her name. She turned to look at Narcissa and then her eyes went back to Draco.

"Harry's dead," she choked out in barely a whisper.

"WHAT?" They all said.

Ginny looked at Draco again, "The person who attacked me......he said Harry was dead......Do you think that's true?" she asked him and then turned to Lucius and Narcissa for their reaction.

Draco wasn't sure what to say, he definitely hoped it wasn't true, he wasn't best mates with Potter, but he'd be lying if he said he wouldn't be upset if he was dead. "I don't know." was all he could manage to get out.

"Miss Weasley, Potter is very resourceful, he defeated one of the darkest wizards of all time.....I'm sure he is fine," Lucius said, trying somewhat to comfort the poor girl even though he was highly uncomfortable by the attempt.

Narcissa looked at him and gave a small smirk and then turned back to Ginny, "I'll be right back," she said, walking out into the hall with Lucius behind her.

Draco kneeled down in front of her and looked at her again. "Ginny, what happened?"

"I went looking for Harry...... his place was trashed.....I didn't think anyone like that would be there, I just wanted to make sure he was ok...." she trailed off as her voice cracked with emotion.

"Hey, it's ok.....you're ok..... and I'm sure that Harry is fine," he assured her with a small smile.

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Lucius followed Narcissa into the hallway after her quick departure from the dining room and watched her start to pace.

"Narcissa? Is everything alright?"

She just looked at him, he couldn't tell if she was upset, angry or both.

"No, everything is not alright, Lucius, do you see what is happening here? Potter is missing, that poor girl was almost killed, the attack in Hogsmeade and why? Because of us, because of the same people that have made our lives a living hell for years. This is how it started last time and it's just a matter of time before they find a way through our wards and-"

"CALM DOWN!" he yelled at her. He looked over his shoulder to make sure Draco and Ginny hadn't heard him and then turned back to his wife, "Narcissa, you need to calm down and keep your head. I can almost guarantee that Potter is alive and well, the Weasley girl was-"

"Ginny" Narcissa corrected him.

He glared at her for a moment, "GINNY, was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, nobody is getting through our wards and even if they did, they would have to go through me to get to you or Draco, ok?" he said, grabbing her shoulders and looking at her.

She just nodded, even though she didn't really feel any better.

"Now, I think Miss Weasley could finish using your assistance," he said, leading her back into the dining room.

Narcissa walked back over to Ginny and started to work on healing the cut on her head, "You probably have a concussion so don't go running off on another adventure so soon," she said with a smirk, receiving a small smile from Ginny. "I can't really do too much about the bruising, I've done what I can with it, but.....you still look like a mess. The only other thing right now is for you to rest, but I'm already guessing that won't happen, which is why I'm going to personally escort you home," she said firmly.

"I can't go home like this," Ginny said

"You can and you will, your parents need to know what's going on, you can't keep leaving them in the dark about everything. Draco, show Ginny to the downstairs bathroom so she can wash up a bit before she shows up at home like this,"

He helped her up and they walked in silence until they got to the bathroom where Ginny turned on the water and started washing her hands free of the blood that was on them. Draco just stood in the doorway and watched her, his heart sank at the sight of her. She had grabbed a washcloth and wet it and tried to wipe the blood off her face, but most of it was dried up and she had some trouble getting it off. She just kept scrubbing and she quickly became overwhelmed with such a simple task. She was still in somewhat of a shocked state after what happened to her, all she could think of was Harry right now and if he was ok. As she continued to try and wipe off the blood, she couldn't help but think back to Draco's memories she saw of Astoria being murdered. The sight of the blood was just really getting to her suddenly and she threw the rag down with a slight growl and hung her head.

Seeing her frustrations Draco grabbed the rag and rinsed it off and sat her down on the toilet seat. "Here, let me help," he said, as he started to wipe her face.

She just watched him....... she hadn't really seen this side of Draco too often and when she did it made her love him even more. If her lip wasn't split open and her head wasn't throbbing, she would've probably had her lips on his right now. Why was it even in the condition she was in, she still somehow had the ability to be further and further pulled in by Draco.

"I'm sorry I showed up like this," she said quietly. "I mean... not that I don't already show up whenever I want," she mumbled, making Draco smirk. "When I first woke up in Harry's flat and saw myself like this, I just wanted to be somewhere safe. I didn't want to show up at home so I just thought of someplace else I felt safe........with you," she whispered out, looking at the floor.

He just stared at her; how the fuck could she possibly feel safe around him? He couldn't even save Astoria; he couldn't even leave the damn house without being paranoid that someone was going to attempt to kill him.

"I think you hit your head a little harder than you think if you actually feel safe around me," he said with a slight sneer.

He couldn't help but be annoyed at her comment suddenly, did she expect him to protect her because that wasn't something he could do. He couldn't do it for his fiancé so there's no way he could do it for some Weasley.....right? Then again, Ginny didn't really need protection, if anything she probably protected him a lot more than he ever did.

"There, you look a lot better," he said, tossing the rag in the sink.

"Really?" she asked, getting up and looking in the mirror.

"Nope," he smirked.

She slapped him on the arm, "UGH, I think there are more bruises that formed," she sighed.

"Alright, let's go," came Narcissa's voice from the hallway.

"Why is she treating me like a baby?" Ginny mumbled to Draco as they both walked out into the hall.

"Welcome to my life," Draco drawled.

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Ginny walked up to the Burrow and stopped outside of the back door, she could only imagine how her mother was going to react. She felt Narcissa give her a nudge and she sneered at the blonde for rushing her.

"I'm going, relax," she snarled, rolling her eyes.

Ginny continued to just stare at the back door.

Narcissa let out a frustrated sigh and walked in front of her and opened the door, letting herself in. Molly, of course, was sitting at the table with Arthur in the middle of a conversation when they both just stared at her.

"Narcissa? Why-what-" Molly couldn't get the words out, she was just wondering why Narcissa Malfoy was letting herself into their kitchen.

Narcissa cleared her throat and then looked out through the doorway at Ginny and gave her a look to get her arse inside. Ginny slowly made her way into the kitchen and just looked at her parents; she felt her heart break into a billion pieces when her mother was already in tears at the sight of her.

"GINNY! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?" her father yelled, anger and worry was very apparent in his voice.

Ginny was completely overwhelmed by her parents' questions and her mum's sobs. Molly was checking every single part of her body to make sure there was nothing further she could heal on her and then would just fall into another fit of sobs as she looked her over again.

Narcissa seemed to notice this, she would be lying if she didn't feel for Molly and Arthur, she remembered when Draco would come home countless times after a near-death outing. She remembered when he would hide out at Blaise's until his wounds would heal and then come home so it wouldn't look as bad. She knew he thought she didn't know, but she always did, she wanted him to come straight home whenever something like that happened, but she knew he thought hiding it from her would make her worry less.

"Ginny said she went to Mr. Potter's flat when she was attacked," Narcissa explained.

Arthur and Molly looked at her and then back to Ginny, "Where was Harry?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know, he hasn't been at work and he wasn't here so I just thought I'd pop in to check on him. I had no idea I'd be walking into that........the man who attacked me said that Harry was dead, Dad, do you think that's true?" she asked, looking at him, her eyes threatening to swell with tears.

Arthur locked eyes with his daughter, his eyes held anger in them at the possibility.

"I have to go, I'll be back, " he said, grabbing his jacket and wand.

"Where are you going? Do you know where he is? DAD!" Ginny yelled after him as he apparated before she could try to stop him. "Mum, what's going on?"

"Ginny, calm down, it's ok, your father is probably just checking in with a few sources to see if he could find out where Harry is, which I am sure he is just fine," she said with a smile. "Go on up and get showered, do you need any help?"

Ginny just shook her head.

"Alright, go on then," she nodded towards the living room.

Molly just watched Ginny walk into the living room and then she turned her gaze to Narcissa, they were both quiet for a few moments. "Thank you, Narcissa for bringing her home and helping her......I couldn't imagine if.....if...." Molly's voice cracked with emotion.

"I know you would've done the same for Draco,"

"Of course," Molly gestured for her to take a seat, "Stay for a cup of tea?" she suggested.

Narcissa just raised an eyebrow at the invitation, "Sure, why not, this night has already taken an unexpected turn," she said sarcastically, taking a seat at the table and receiving a rather amused smirk from Molly.

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Ginny stepped into the shower and watched all the blood wash away from her body, she let out a hiss of pain as the water hit her cuts and even her bruises. She didn't know why she suddenly felt less fearless than she had before she was attacked, it's not like it was the first time she was attacked these past few weeks. Maybe this one was just hit her a little harder than the other attempts. The thought that the same people who could've killed Harry were the same people that almost killed her is what really scared her. Harry of all people to be taken out by a few nobodies was eye-opening in many ways for her.

She dried off and looked in the mirror and gave a sigh at her reflection; her eye was swollen and the whole side of her face down to her neck was completely bruised. She heard her father walk through the door downstairs and she opened the door a crack to see if she heard Harry with him. After hearing enough words to know he had no luck, she quickly threw her clothes on and ran into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

She had to turn her brain off right now; she usually went to Pristine Point or went for a broom ride or, most recently, would have a fuck session with Draco to keep her emotions under control. Since none of that was an option right now she just crawled into bed and pulled the covers over herself and went to sleep.

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Ginny's eyes snapped open and she woke with a jolt as she thought back to the nightmare she had. She let out a shaky breath as she thought back to the nightmare and threw the blankets off of herself. She looked at the clock in her room and saw it was about three in the morning and she got up and headed downstairs for a drink. She was annoyed with herself for acting like such a pussy all of a sudden with this whole experience.

She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water and before she could take a sip, she heard the floorboard squeak in the living room.

"Mum?" she softly called out.

She walked into the dark living room and looked around and didn't see anyone. She turned to go back into the kitchen and ran right into someone; she went to let out a scream, but they quickly covered her mouth and pulled her into the kitchen.

"SHHH! Ginny, be quiet, it's me,"

"Harry?" she asked, barely able to make him out in the dark. "HARRY!" she yelled, throwing her arms around him and pulling him to her. He let out a small growl of pain as she hugged him. "You're hurt, let me take a look at it," she said, walking over to turn the light on.

He took a seat at the table and had his head down and was holding his side, he was already bandaged up from other injuries he apparently suffered in the time he had been gone.

She sat beside him, "Harry, where were you?" she choked out as a lump formed in her throat.

"Ginny, I-" he turned to look at her, his pained expression turned to one of horror when he took in her condition.

Ginny could tell he was trying to ask her what happened, but for some reason, he couldn't get the words out. "I went to your flat to check on you.....and well...." she gestured to herself.

He grabbed her to him, his fingers latched onto her top so tightly she thought he would rip it off with how hard of a hold he had on her. He still didn't say anything, he just held her for a few moments and she let him. She knew Harry really pissed her off sometimes, but finally seeing him after thinking he might be dead was everything to her right now. The only other place she felt safe besides with Draco or with her parents was with Harry; he always tried to have her best interest at heart and seemed to always bail her out of tough situations.

"I'm fine, Harry, we can talk about me afterwards, but please.....where were you? The person who attacked me said you were dead," she said.

He just looked at her again; he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before he sat back in his chair. "I'm sorry I disappeared, that night when I was at the Ministry late, I went to check out a place and well... I was in way over my head. I had a few injuries and I stayed with Neville until I was good to head back. I had a few people following me so that's why I didn't dare come here or anywhere else that would be put in danger." he explained.

"Are you going to let us help you now?" she asked him.

"Are you kidding? No, definitely not," he said, shaking his head.

"Why? Because you don't want me to be in danger, LOOK AT ME, HARRY!" she yelled at him, gesturing to her injuries, standing up from her seat in anger.

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE CONSTANTLY STICKING YOUR NOSE WHERE IT DOESN'T BELONG!" he yelled back, also standing up in anger, although he regretted the words immediately.

"WHERE IT DOESN'T BELONG? I WENT TO CHECK ON YOU, YOU INCONSIDERATE PRICK!" she screamed at him, giving him a hard shove.

He winced in pain when she pushed him and she immediately felt guilty and grabbed his arm and pushed him back down into his seat. "Break a few ribs there did you?" she asked sarcastically. "You know, maybe if you had someone to help you out there-"

"I told you, Chamberlain is help-"

"THAT LITTLE FUCKER HAS BEEN SITTING IN HIS OFFICE WHILE YOU'RE OUT THERE PUTTING YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE!" she yelled once more.

She sat down beside him again and he looked at her. "Ginny, this has gotten out of hand......I think I'm going to close this case altogether just as Kingsley wanted. This is precisely why he didn't want us bothering with it."

She just looked at him, "I guess you do whatever you need to do........and I'll do the same," she said firmly, getting up to head upstairs.

Mrs. Weasley came walking into the kitchen as Ginny was passing, "What the bloody hell is going on, Ginevra?"

"Harry's back.....he's going to need your assistance," she drawled, glaring at Harry before she went upstairs.

"Ginny.....GINNY!" he called after her.

He gave a hard sigh when she ignored him and turned his attention to Mrs. Weasley, who was at his side in a moment.

__________________________________________________________

The next day Ginny woke up and didn't dare try to go to work, she could only imagine the scene her mother would make there as she dragged her back home to rest. Instead Ginny had a quick bite to eat for breakfast and barely spoke to Harry, who was also taking the day off of work.

"Now, Ginny, what are you planning today? You need to rest, but you're my daughter so I know that's the last thing on your mind," Molly said, taking a seat at the table.

"Yeah, Gin, what are your plans?" Harry asked her sarcastically.

"Actually, I'm going to see Draco," she said casually, taking a bite of toast.

Harry just looked at her, "Oh yeah, what are you going to be doing over there?" he asked her.

"You know the usual, just screwing each other all day long," she shrugged.

Her father almost choked on his food at her comment and Harry was just shaking his head.

"BLOODY HELL, GINEVRA WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Molly went off on a rant.

Ginny just kept eating her toast and looked at Harry with a smirk that she tried to conceal causing him to slip out one as well. It was really hard for either of them to stay mad at each other for very long.

"Mum, relax, I'm not doing anything like that, I just want to say thank you to Mrs. Malfoy for last night......" she trailed off.

"Well, alright then,"

".......Then the screwing will commence," she joked, getting up from the table and quickly making her way out of the kitchen while her mum and dad started lecturing her about her sick sense of humor.

______________________________________________________

Ginny gave a hard knock on the doors to Malfoy Manor before letting herself in as always. She made her way over to the dining room to see if Narcissa was there but she wasn't. She went into the kitchen and was surprised to see her in there with Tilly.

"Mrs. Malfoy, sorry I didn't mean to-"

"You're fine, Ginny, come in," she nodded for her to join her in the kitchen.

Ginny saw she was covered in flour and her hands were kneading a big ball of dough. "Are you......baking, Mrs. Malfoy?" she asked with a slight giggle.

"Oh hush you, I know it's shocking, but you've inspired me, Ginny Weasley," she drawled.

"Really?"

"No, actually, I just need to get my mind off of some stuff and was desperate for the distraction, so here I am," she said with a sigh.

They were both quiet for a moment.

"Um, Mrs. Malfoy, I just wanted to say thank you for-"

Narcissa put her hand up to stop her, "That's not necessary," she said firmly, it was apparent she wasn't comfortable with being thanked or any other feel-good emotion.

Ginny just nodded, "Harry came back last night," she said, taking a seat at the counter and continued watching Narcissa struggle with the dough.

"Well, that's good, see he was fine after all," she said, nodding to her empty wine glass for Ginny to fill it up.

She grabbed the wine bottle and filled up her glass and slid it over to her. "I wouldn't say he was fine.....but he's alive, so....." she just trailed off with a shrug.

"Well, you seem to look like you're feeling a little better today, when you head upstairs to Draco's bedroom there is a vial in his medicine cabinet you can take for the pain," she said.

Ginny nodded and then slipped off of the chair and started walking out of the kitchen.

"Make sure you take it," Narcissa said again as she watched her leave the room.

Ginny made her way upstairs to Draco's room and went to knock on the door when she saw it was halfway opened already. She saw him just sitting on the couch looking at what looked like a picture. She felt bad to disturb him but decided to just give a small knock instead of just walking in.

"Draco?" she called out as she poked her head into the room.

"Oh, uh, hey," he said, clearing his throat and sticking the picture in his pocket. "How are you feeling?"

"Just really sore, Harry showed up last night," she added.

"Where was he?"

"He was working on your case again, he went to check out someplace and he refuses to let anyone help him," she said in an annoyed tone.

She walked over to his bathroom and went into his medicine cabinet and grabbed a vial from it and drank it.

"I don't know how else to convince him to let us help him," she sighed, plopping down on the couch.

"What did you just drink?" he asked her suddenly, grabbing the vial from her.

"I don't know, your mum said it would help with some of the pain," she shrugged.

"Ginny, this isn't a pain relief potion, you should've asked me before you just went grabbing shit," he snapped.

"Well, then what the hell did I just take?" she asked in a panic.

He looked through his medicine cabinet and then he couldn't help but start to laugh.

"WHAT? WHAT IS IT?" she yelled at him, growing angry at the anticipation.

"It was Veritaserum,"

"WHAT? Why the hell do you have that in your bathroom? And how the hell did you even get your hands on it?" she growled out in anger.

"First off.....I'm a Malfoy so is that even a question? And second, I have a lot of stuff in here, it's from when Blaise and I went off on our own investigations," he said through his fits of laughter.

"Draco, I swear you better stop laughing," she hissed at him.

"Relax; do you think I would actually take advantage of you like that?"

"Yes," she quickly answered.

He furrowed his eyebrows, "Ouch, I just realized that was a question and the truth does hurt," he smirked at her.

He sat down on the couch with her and just stared at her with an even wider smirk, "Let me just ask you one thing, it would be a waste of a good potion if I didn't,"

"Fine," she mumbled.

He just looked at her; her hair was pulled back into this high tight ponytail that dangled around her face and shoulders. He really wanted to ask her how she felt about him, but he wasn't sure if he was even ready for that answer.

"How come you're mad at George?"

She just looked at him, her expression hardened at the question and she looked away from him, "Because all he does is remind me of my dead brother, which brings up feelings and emotions that I don't want to deal with because I'm too much of a coward to do so. I feel like if I cry or show any kind of emotion or feelings that it's a sign of weakness,"

"But isn't that unfair to George?"

"Yes, entirely, I hate myself for letting it go on this long like this, I want to just tell him I'm sorry and I love him, but I've waited too long and I feel like I've permanently ruined our relationship now," she said, glaring at him for asking such a personal question.

He just nodded at her explanation. "Another question?" he asked her.

"NO!" she yelled.

"I'm just going to ask you a bunch in a row and we can see how good this stuff really is," he teased her.

"Do not; I'm not a guinea pig," she stated angrily.

"Are you still in love with Potter?" he asked her suddenly.

"No......I'm not IN love with him, but I do still love him," she answered. "Please stop, Draco,"

"Are you attracted to Chamberlain?" he went on.

"Yes," she answered and then covered her mouth with her hand as the answer shocked her.

Draco looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, he is cute, even though he's an asshole," she laughed.

"Are you attracted to me?" he asked with a smirk.

"More than you could possibly imagine," she said, covering her mouth again and burying her face in her lap.

"Oh really? Well, this is starting to get good," he joked, sitting back on the couch.

"How long does this last?" she asked him.

"Not sure..........why are you always showing up here?"

She looked at him, "Because I like seeing you,"

"Aww, how sweet," he said sarcastically, "What else do you like about me?" he asked, folding his hands behind his head as he watched Ginny try to fight against the truth.

She just stared at him with wide eyes, she almost looked scared of the question and Draco almost felt bad for asking it. "Everything, your eyes, your smile, your hair, the way your lips feel against mine, the way every time you make the slightest contact with my skin it makes me want to completely melt. How you are so dramatic but yet so raw and filled with mystery and how you constantly surprise me, I like how every time I look at you I want you to-"

She was suddenly cut off by his lips on hers and it was everything she could ever imagine it to be. She felt him hesitate to continue so she brought her hand up to the back of his neck and pulled him closer to her. They had kissed before during their quick sex sessions, but this time it wasn't so fast and hard. His kisses were still fierce, but gentle at the same time; his lips were just so intoxicating to her, she didn't know if she would be able to ever stop.

Draco had been holding back from pouncing on Ginny the last few times he had seen her. Once he heard how she wanted him to kiss her he didn't need to hear much more. He was on her in an instant and she didn't mind it at all, even when he somehow made his way on top of her on the couch and they became a tangled mess.

He pulled back for a moment to look at her; they were both breathing heavy as he rested his forehead against hers. He looked into her eyes as she rubbed her thumb over his bottom lip, "Please don't stop," she whispered to him.

He crashed his lips against hers again and he felt her hands start to grab at his clothes, he felt her start to unbutton his pants as he pulled his shirt off. She quickly slipped her top off and then ran her hands over his bare chest before she snaked them around him and pulled his body to hers. The feel of her body against his was enough to make him almost cum right then and there, but he somehow managed to fight through the urge and continued kissing her.

He stopped suddenly and looked at her again remembering she was under the effects of the Veritaserum, "What do you want?" he asked her.

She bit her lip at the question, "I want you inside of me," she said as her eyes begged him to have his way with her.

The request alone was about to push him over the edge so he roughly ripped her pants off and quickly threw his aside before she had her legs entangled with his again. She grabbed his face and pulled him to her again, her kisses were deep and passionate. She slid her hands down to his back and gently held onto him as she anticipated his entrance. As soon as she felt him inside her, she let out a loud moan and dug her fingers into his back as she felt pleasure throughout her entire body.

Every single thing about this experience with Ginny was completely different from their other intimate encounters. The first being that he was ridiculously in love with the redhead beneath him and the second was that because of his love for her, experiencing her body in this way meant a lot more to him than it had in the past. The sounds she made when he kissed or touched her, the way she clung to him as he pushed into her, even the way she looked at him......with this longing.....like she needed him.

He couldn't hold himself back anymore and from the sound of the whimper of pleasure she released, he could tell she was right there with him. He finally felt her throbbing hot wet pussy orgasm around his exploding cock and the feeling was nothing he had ever experienced. It literally hurt him to hold his load in with how bad he wanted her and when he finally let go he knew he would never forget this moment with Ginny.

He felt her nails and her grip finally start to loosen up against his back and their breathing slowed down. He laid beside her on the couch with their bodies still tightly wrapped up in each other. She was lying there in his arms, her lips on his still; he thought for a moment if she kept kissing him again he might have to fuck her all over with how much she turned him on.

They both just continued to lay there, each content with just holding the other and listening to the soft sound of the other breathing for a while in silence. He felt Ginny give a slight shiver and he reached for the blanket that was over the back of the couch and covered them with it before grabbing her closer to him. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and he felt his heart completely melt.

He looked at the still very visible bruises on her face and neck and he frowned at the sight of them, he wanted so much to take them away from her. He watched her start to doze off and he placed a soft kiss on her forehead as she fell asleep. Everything right now was completely perfect, he couldn't believe how happy he felt just holding this woman in his arms. He almost wanted to wake her up just so he could see her smile or hear her voice again.

He caught sight of the empty vial of Veritaserum on the coffee table next to them and he had to stifle the fit of laughter that was trying to get out. He pulled himself together after a few moments and just looked at Ginny beside him and gave a small smirk before he too started to doze off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okkk, so I need reviews for this chapter! I NEED THEM! Please tell me your thoughts, the shit is going to hit the fan soon in the upcoming chapters so get ready for it =D REVIEW PLEASE!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took longer to post this chapter, my sister is in town visiting for the next few weeks so I have been spending time with her. Hope you enjoy this chapter! It does pick up where the last one ended =D

Draco woke a few hours later after his intimate and very intense encounter with Ginny from earlier. He didn't even realize how tired he was until he was perfectly content with holding Ginny in his arms. He really never got that much rest to begin with ever since Astoria was killed, it was always either him jolting out of an uneasy sleep from vivid nightmares or his mind being flooded with guilt and every other emotion he seemed to feel.

He turned his head to see her sitting on the floor in front of him at the coffee table writing something down. He sat up to get a better look and saw she had his file out and opened and pages laid out. She also had Blaise's file that they also had still out on the other side of her that had been gone through as well. He wasn't angry that she helped herself to his file, in fact, he was somewhat relieved that someone had the balls to actually open it.

He was getting ready to say something to her when he suddenly stopped himself and assessed the situation. The last time he had spoken to her he had berated her with questions under the influence of Veritaserum. He knew she had shared a lot more personal things with him than she probably wanted to and he wasn't really sure how to act now. The moment they shared just a few hours earlier wasn't their typical fuck session, he knew he felt something entirely different and he was pretty positive Ginny felt the same, but he didn't dare ask her about it. What made him feel uneasy right now was how Ginny was going to act towards him...... he figured she was still here after everything so she can't feel that awkward or angry at him about what happened between them.

"You ripped them again," she suddenly said, not turning around and just kept writing.

He was surprised by the sudden sound of her voice, "Uh, ripped what?" he asked her.

She turned to look at him, whipping her tight ponytail all about as she did, "My panties, you ripped them again," she said with an amused smile.

He just threw himself back down on the couch and gave a soft laugh, "Sorry, maybe you should just stop wearing them altogether," he suggested.

She turned around to face him all the way and was her knees, leaning onto the couch cushion where he was lying. "You looked so peaceful sleeping so I left you alone......I thought I'd take a peek at your file, hope that was ok?" she asked with some uncertainty.

He just looked at her and gave a small nod and then his eyes traveled to her bruises and cuts. "How are you feeling?"

She gave a soft sigh, "I could use that pain relief potion, my head is throbbing," she said, rubbing the side of it.

He quickly got up and made his way to the bathroom, slipping his clothes back on as he went. "You sure you don't want another vial of Veritaserum?" he teased.

She didn't answer.

"Ginny?" he called out. Again she didn't answer and he walked back over to her and he saw she had her hand up over her nose, "Are you ok?"

She just nodded and then walked past him into the bathroom and grabbed a bunch of tissues. He was behind her in an instant and saw she had a pretty significant nosebleed, that had dripped down her face and her hand from holding it. He grabbed a rag and ran it under the water before handing it to her.

"What's going on with you?" he asked her, his voice was filled with worry and concern.

She just shook her head, "I don't know, I passed out in the Ministry bathroom for hours the other day after I had another nosebleed," she said.

"WHAT? Ginny, this isn't good, maybe you need to see someone?" he suggested, becoming a little annoyed that he didn't know about her passing out the other day....not that she really needed to tell him anyway.

"Maybe, it's been happening a lot more often, mostly at work, definitely whenever I'm around Will," she said, rolling her eyes jokingly.

"Maybe it's stress? Maybe you need to take it easy for a while?" he said, rinsing the rag for her and then handing it back.

She just shrugged, "I'm fine now, let's get back to these files," she said, making her way back over to her spot on the floor.

Draco took a seat beside her and handed her the pain relief potion, "Here, take this, it will help."

She swallowed the potion and then looked at him. "I should be able to use Veritaserum on you now since you invaded my privacy earlier," she said with a smirk.

"Maybe, I'll think about it," he said, knowing very well he would never take it no matter how much he owed it to her.

"Oh, you just wait, Draco Malfoy.....I'll get you to drink it," she said with a wide grin.

"We'll see, now show me what you've been writing down," he nodded towards the paper she had been scribbling away on.

"It's not much yet, just stuff we know and stuff we still need to find out," she said.

He looked at the paper, "Uh, there's not much under the "stuff we already know" side," he said with a raised eyebrow.

She snatched the paper back from him, "Not yet, but there will be," she said sounding hopeful. "So you said you remember what one of these guys looked like from that night.....right?"

He just nodded.

"So, what did he look like?" she asked, feeling a little bad for asking him to go back to one of the darkest days of his life.

"Uh...I'm not sure actually,"

She just looked at him, "What do you mean you're not sure? You said you distinctly remembered one of their faces and now you don't?"

"It's just......" He rubbed his face in frustration, "It was dark that night, I can't recall his features, but if I saw his face again.......I would just know,"

"Was he the one that-"

"Yes, he's the one that killed her," he said, looking at Ginny with a slight sneer.

"Sorry," she mumbled. She grabbed a few photos of different people and fanned them out in front of Draco, "I found these also, do you know who any of them are?" she asked, looking at him.

He barely had to look at any of them to answer, "Yeah, they all followed Voldemort, some of them I, unfortunately, had to interact with," he snarled at the memory. "Why? Do they have something to do with Astoria's murder?" he asked, a bit hopeful that he might have some reason as to why someone wanted to make the rest of his life a living hell.

"Well, you would think that would make sense if they did, but all of these people are dead," she said, looking at him, "They were murdered by whoever is behind all of this, well, according to Harry's notes in here. Do you think someone is just taking down ex-death eaters?"

"Maybe, but it's been over five years since this all started, if someone wanted to off me or my parents it seems like they could've done it by now," he said, trying to make sense of it all.

"You would think, but look at this," she said, holding out a picture of another ex-death eater. "Robert Fiddleman, his wife was murdered four years ago by the same people, leaving him and their two kids behind and then two years later they burned down his home with the kids inside. His life had become a living hell until he finally killed himself a few months later," she read off of the file. "I mean, I know he was a death eater, but..... it was like they wanted to make him suffer as much as possible first...." she trailed off as she got lost in her thoughts.

"Well, they're doing a great job on me," he drawled. "What about these?" He asked, reaching forward to some photos that were faced down. "Are these more death eat-"

He was cut off by Ginny slamming her hand down on top of the pile before he could turn them over. "NO!" she yelled suddenly. "It's nothing.......nothing you should have to look at," she whispered.

"Ginny, just let me take a look, maybe I-"

"Draco," she said suddenly, locking eyes with him and shaking her head, "They are photos from that night......believe me, you don't want to see them," she said, sliding the pile of photos over to her.

He just swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he realized what she meant. Watching Astoria be murdered right in front of him was the most horrific thing he had ever witnessed and even holding her lifeless body in his arms was the darkest moment of his life. He hadn't had to relive it until that day Ginny accidentally broke his vial of memories open and it was just as hard to watch it again knowing how tragic things would end up. He had never seen the pictures of his dead fiance or the crime scene.....and he was thankful that Ginny stopped him before he had.

They were both suddenly very quiet and Ginny's head was starting to throb again, so much so that she thought she would just hurl right there on the table.

"Uh, I'm not feeling good," she said, standing up.

He got to his feet at her comment and looked her over. "Maybe you need to just commit to resting for a few days instead of trying to play detective?" he suggested with a slight smirk.

She just nodded, "Yeah, maybe,"

They both stood there in silence before Ginny was getting ready to leave and Draco wasn't really sure how to say goodbye to her. They had just shared a pretty vulnerable moment earlier and from what Ginny said under the effects of the Veritaserum made it sound like she was quite fond of him. His heart sank at the possibility that maybe Ginny only thought of the intimate moment between them earlier as nothing more than another sex session? He wasn't sure if he should kiss her goodbye because he definitely didn't mind, but he wasn't sure if she would. Yes, she said she likes when he kissed her or touched her and even looked at her, but now that it was out in the open it seemed kind of awkward. He wished he had the courage to ask her if she loved him like he did her, he wanted to snog the hell out of her goodbye, but he just decided to do nothing instead.

Ginny was making her way to the door as he watched her when she suddenly stopped and turned to face him. She looked unsure of what to say and took a few steps closer to him as he met her halfway and she just stopped and looked at him. Her eyes traveled down to his lips and she leaned forward and very gently pressed her lips to his and then she looked back up at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow......Draco," she said softly before turning around and leaving his bedroom.

As soon as she left the room, he bit his fist to contain the loud moan he wanted to let out at how satisfying it was to feel her lips on his.....again. He threw himself down on the couch again and thought about the incredible moment he had with Ginny earlier. He thought about how once again he still never told Ginny how he felt and was unclear on exactly how she felt. It's not like they were going to be a couple or anything, that was just absurd to think about.....right?

__________________________________________________________

The next day Ginny decided she was going to go back to work, even though her mother fought with her the entire time she got ready to make her stay home. She finally made it to the Ministry and before she went to Will's office she wanted to stop by to say a quick hello to Harry and see how he was feeling.

She gave a quick knock on his office door before peeking her head in. "Harry?"

"Good Morning, Ginny, he isn't here," said Cho, sitting at his desk.

Ginny made her way into the office. "Oh, do you know where he is?"

"He's just running late this morning," she said with a small smile.

Ginny just rolled her eyes at her, she hated Cho so much. "Well, thanks," she said sarcastically, making her way to the door again.

"Why are you like that?" Cho suddenly asked.

Ginny stopped and turned around to face her. "Like what?"

"Why are you a total bitch to me all the time?" Cho asked, her feelings looked genuinely hurt.

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Ginny asked her, her anger rising.

"Yes, I am, I want to know why you have this constant need to roll your eyes at me or answer me like I'm a piece of trash," she said, her lip trembling a little bit with emotion.

"I swear if you cry I'm going to deck you in the face," Ginny drawled. "How could you expect me to really act like we are best buds after Harry cheated on me with you? Do you hear yourself? Do you really think I would ever be friends or make nice with someone like that?" Ginny snapped angrily.

Cho just gave her a confused look. "What? What are you talking about? Harry has never been with me like that......we haven't even dated. The only kiss I've ever shared with Harry, besides that time back at school, was when I was at your house for dinner." she said.

Ginny just stared at her with wide eyes, "What? No, he told me he did...I saw you guys, you-" she stopped speaking when she realized she couldn't remember what exactly happened between her and Harry. "Aren't you guys together?" she asked.

Cho just shook her head, "No, Ginny, we were trying it out a few weeks ago, but things just didn't take off so we're just friends. Besides, I think he's already seeing someone else." she shrugged.

Ginny just stared at her again, why the hell would Harry tell her that he cheated on her with Cho? That was what she remembered happening that put the ultimate end to her and Harry's relationship, but now she wasn't so sure she had any proof of it happening other than Harry's words and actions towards her back then. They drifted apart, they fell out of love, she was cold towards him and he distanced himself from her over time.

Ginny quickly left the office and almost slammed right into Harry.

"Oh, hey, Gin, how are you feeling?" he asked her.

She just stared at him, her eyes went wide once more at the sudden news she just received and wasn't sure what to do with it right now.

"Are you ok?" he asked her again, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She just turned her gaze to his hand on her shoulder and then looked at him once more. "Uh, yeah.....yeah, I'm fine. How about you?" she asked, clearing her throat.

"I'm doing a lot better, looks like your bruises are almost gone, thanks to your mum's charm work," he said with a smile.

Ginny just nodded. "Alright, well I better get to work," she said, before making her way across the hall into Will's office.

"Well, there you are, last I knew you went to go check on Harry at his flat," Will laughed.

She just glared at him, "Yeah, well, I was almost killed," she snapped, waving her hand over her face and head to show him her bruising.

"Are you serious?" he asked, his tone changing from warm and charming to one of authority. "Do you remember who it was? Did you see their face?" he asked, grabbing a notepad to take down her statement.

"Put that shit down, Will, I don't need you acting like an Auror right now, how about just a friend?" she said angrily.

He put his quill and pad aside and just nodded. "Well, are you alright?"

She just sighed and slumped down into a chair, "I guess," she shrugged.

"Well, is there anything I can do?" he said, sitting down next to her.

She just looked at him, "Yeah, can you find out who these fuckin people are already? I don't get it, they are EVERYWHERE. How? How the hell do they know where we are and what we're doing all the damn time? It's like...... being trapped.....I feel like everyone I love is in danger. I JUST want this whole thing to be over with already so if you want to do anything to help, you can start by getting off of your damn arse and doing something." she ranted on.

"Ginny, I know it doesn't seem like I'm doing enough, but I'm doing more than you think. Harry is more of a hands-on kind of guy, whereas I like to dot my I's and cross my T's before I go running out there. Perhaps that's why Harry keeps ending up in these near-death situations?"

"But why has it been so long? If someone wanted the Malfoys dead don't you think they would have done it by now?" she asked, trying to get another perspective on the questions she and Draco were asking yesterday as they went through his file.

"Well, they are very well protected with their wards, Narcissa Malfoy herself put those up and as I hear she's rather extraordinary when it comes to charm work so they are pretty impenetrable. I take it that's why they never leave the manor." he shrugged.

She thought about the ward around the Manor and how Narcissa was the one to give her a disabling charm for the one around the files. She wondered if it was a similar one that could potentially take down the one around the Manor and that was why she was so defensive when Ginny asked her about it. She was also hesitant to even give her the charm at all but was a woman of her word and a bet was a bet after all.

"Maybe whoever is behind this is a Legilimens, perhaps you need an Occlumency lesson?" he suggested.

She just looked at him, "Do you really think it's possible? I haven't thought of that, it would make perfect sense, I could probably ask Harry to-"

"Why don't I teach you? You did just say that I'm not doing enough, so let me help with this," he said with a smile.

Ginny had to think about this for a moment, she definitely didn't want Harry to see anything between her and Draco, she thought it would be awkward. She also didn't want him to see how much she cared for Draco and not to mention the fact that she had a copy of Draco's files still. She couldn't think of anyone actually that she would want to dig through her memories and read her mind; if anyone would do it she would prefer a complete stranger. The only problem with Will was that she didn't trust the bloody git.

"Can I think about it?" she asked.

"Sure, why you don't trust me?" he asked with a smirk.

"No, I don't, not one bit," she drawled.

"Ouch, that hurts, but fair enough; let me know if you change your mind."

Ginny just nodded and then watched him for a moment as she thought about her plan to get closer to him to potentially get her file.

"So maybe we can go out tonight?" she casually asked.

"You know, that sounds like a splendid idea, however...." he walked over to his desk and sat across from her, ".........I know you're not looking to be best buds or for a good lay, since Mr. Malfoy seems to be taking care of that for you, so......what is it that you want?" he asked, his tone serious.

She just glared at him, he was certainly not as charming and boring as Ginny originally thought. "I just thought that we should-"

He put his hand up to stop her, "Here's what I think, I think you want to make sure what you saw in your file is really all there is and you think I'm going to help you get it OR that I'll let my guard down enough so you can pull a fast one on me and get it yourself."

Ginny felt a lump form in her throat at how precise he was. "Are YOU, using Legilimency on me?" she asked angrily.

He just laughed, "Absolutely not,"

"I don't think I believe you." she snapped.

"Hmm," was all he said before going back to his work.

It became completely awkward for Ginny all of a sudden, what did "hmm" mean? Was he really reading her mind? If he was, he must be brilliant at it to perform it without a wand.

"Well, can you?" she asked suddenly.

"What? Read your mind?"

"No, can you help me get my file?" she decided to just come right out with it.

He just shook his head at how blunt she was. "You do realize you're asking me, an Auror, if I can steal a file from my Superior,"

"Well, when you say it like that..." she trailed off.

"Ginny, it's not a problem for me to go in there and get it if I wanted, but there isn't anything in there......and even if there was, do you think I'd just let you have it without getting something in return?"

She just locked eyes with him, "Like what exactly?" she drawled.

He just gave her a smug smile, "I'll let you know."

___________________________________________________________

Ginny stood outside of her her brother's joke shop after work for a few moments just watching George through the window as he and Percy got ready to close up. She let out a shaky breath and walked inside and up to the counter where she saw George very surprised to see her.

"Ginny, what are you doing here? Is everything ok?" he asked.

She just nodded, "Uh, George, can I talk to you for a minute? I know you're getting ready to close-"

"It's fine, Percy, you got the rest of this?" he asked his brother, who nodded. George led the way to the back room of the shop and closed the door. "What's going on, Ginny?"

She looked at him for a moment and felt her emotions bubbling up, "This will be quick, I just.....I just need you to know that......" her voice started to crack.

"That what, Gin?" he asked, placing a hand on her arm.

She just looked at his hand on her arm and then back to him, "I'm sorry," she barely whispered. "And.....and I love you, ok?" she tried so hard to hold his gaze.

He looked a bit shocked at her sudden apology and got a bit choked up himself. He nodded at her statement and went to speak when she shook her head for him not to.

"Don't, don't say anything.....just know that I'm trying, ok? I really am," she choked out before wiping the bit of wetness from her eyes before a single tear fell and then gave him a quick hug before leaving the back room as fast as she could.

George just watched her walk out as an emotional smile spread across his face.

___________________________________________________

After Ginny went to talk to George she felt a bit better, she knew she still had a ways to go to heal all the damage that was done between them. After hearing herself tell Draco about what happened with George, whether it was her doing or the Veritaserum, she felt like she had to at least let him know she was trying to build their relationship again. The only thing she feared at this point was that it was too late and things would never be the same between them again.

Ginny had just gotten home after a long day between work and her very unexpected trip to the joke shop and was trying to make it over to Draco's again. She kept telling herself, she was there almost every day to go through the file, but she knew it was just because she loved seeing him. She walked into the kitchen to see dinner was just about ready and made her way into the living room and saw Harry making his way downstairs.

"Oh, hey," she said.

"Hey, Gin, looks like I'm going to be crashing here for a while until.......well I don't know," he said with a shrug.

"Well, it won't be too much different than usual since you're always here anyway," she teased.

He just gave her a small smirk, "Yeah, I just don't think it's best to stay at my place right now," he explained.

She gave a small nod and went to make her way upstairs to change when she stopped, "Harry?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Cho said that you-" she stopped herself, she wanted to tell him what Cho said about him never being with her when they were together and she wanted to know why he lied to her. Instead, she decided to keep that information to herself for now. "She said that things didn't work out between you guys?"

He just looked at her for a moment and scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably, "Uh, yeah....guess they didn't, why?"

She just shrugged, "It's just that, she said she thinks you're seeing someone already......are you?" she asked curiously.

He just looked at the floor, "It's nothing like that, it's nobody....just a friend," he said waving his hand at her to go upstairs.

"Harry, who is it? Do I know them?" she asked.

"Ginny, it's nobody and it's nothing. Go get ready for dinner and keep your nose out of my business," he said with a smirk.

She scoffed, "I will if you keep yours out of mine," she said sarcastically before making her way upstairs.

__________________________________________________

Ginny had just finished getting showered and changed and was about to make her way downstairs to dinner when she heard a tapping at her window. She turned to see what looked like a raven at her window with something tied to its foot. She opened the window and grabbed the paper and opened it up and read the short note.

Hope you had a good visit with your brother........you never know when it will be the last time you'll see him again......

Her breath caught in her throat and she couldn't jump up fast enough. "HARRY!" she screamed out, ripping her door open and running downstairs and crashed right into him.

"Hey, what's up dinner is-"

"GEORGE! WE HAVE TO GET TO HIM NOW!" she screamed, practically pushing the letter into his face to read.

He looked at the note real quick and his eyes went wide and he just looked at her. He ran into the kitchen with Ginny close behind him and showed Arthur the note who jumped up at the threat.

"Let's go," Arthur said as they got ready to apparate to George's place.

"I'm coming," Ginny said, walking behind them.

"NO!" both Arthur and Harry yelled and even her mother who overheard the whole conversation.

"What? Why not?"

"STAY HERE!" Harry yelled at her.

"NO! I WANT TO HELP!" she argued, getting ready to follow them out.

Harry quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her over to a chair and threw her into it. He waved his wand and bound her to the chair tightly and then just gave her a firm look.

"You are staying here, do not follow us, DO NOT!" he turned to Molly, "You can release her after you've talked some sense into her," he said before he and Arthur finally left.

"WHAT THE HELL, HARRY?" she yelled after him, but he was out of sight in a moment.

"Ginny, dear, calm down, you are safest here. Let your father and Harry deal with this, they need to focus, not worry about whether you're going to get hurt or not," Molly explained.

"But, Mum, if something happens to George....." she trailed off as her emotions started to surface.

"He's going to be fine, you have to believe that," she said, through a teary smile, even though it didn't look like she believed it herself.

Ginny nodded in an attempt to comfort her mum before Molly released the binding charm.

They both suddenly heard a knock at the front door and Molly went to go get it, "I wonder who that could be," she said, walking into the living room.

Ginny went to follow her mum into the living room when something through the kitchen window caught her eye. She peeked through it to see someone standing out there and she realized something wasn't right.

"MUM, WAIT!" she yelled out and ran into the living room before her mother could get to the door.

Before Ginny could reach her mum, she heard a loud blast and ran into the next room to see her mum lying on the floor and the front door forced open. She went to run to her mum's side when she was already having a spell thrown at her and she took cover back behind the kitchen door. Her heart was racing, she couldn't just leave her mum here with these people and she couldn't make a run for it out of the back because someone was waiting out there too.

"Pull yourself together, Ginny," she whispered to herself before she could start to panic.

Her mind couldn't help but go back to the day she was attacked at Harry's flat. Why were these people here? Was the note about George just a distraction? Her mind was racing with a million different possibilities. She wanted to grab her mum and apparate somewhere safe, but she didn't dare go anywhere they would think she would go.

She was pulled from her thoughts when someone broke into the back door and she quickly went to run back into the living room when the person shot some sort of binding spell at her that wrapped around one of her ankles before she could outrun it. She fell to the floor and he started dragging her back towards him.

"Not so fast, we barely had time to play," he said, as she was now flat on her back in front of him.

"Sorry, I don't play well with others," she quickly said before she brought her other foot up and kicked him right between the legs.

He fell to his knees and threw a spell at her as she barreled into the living room and quickly put up a Protego charm as the other man in the room started shooting spells at her. She was getting quite annoyed at the constant curses flying at her and she pushed the Protego charm outward towards him and knocked him off his feet. She took her chance to run to her mum's side and decided she couldn't possibly leave without casting one of her famous Bat-Bogey hexes on one of these guys. She threw it right at the guy coming from the kitchen and he fell to the floor holding his face. A smug smile tugged at her face right before she placed a hand on her mum and apparated out of there.

______________________________________________________

Harry was pounding as hard as he could on the doors to Malfoy Manor, his stomach in knots still since he returned back to the Burrow and realized Ginny and Molly were gone. One of the men was still knocked out that Arthur took to the Ministry first for questioning and then to Azkaban. Right now, the only thing on Harry's mind was where the hell Ginny and Molly were.

The door opened and Narcissa was quite surprised to see him, "Mr. Potter, what can I help you with?" she asked, opening the door to let him in once she saw his expression.

"Is Ginny here?" he quickly asked her.

"I don't think so," she turned to Tilly, who was beside her, "Get Draco, now," she ordered. She turned back to Harry, "What happened?"

He just shook his head, "I don't know, they showed up at the Burrow, while Arthur and I were checking up on Ginny's brother because she got a letter saying that they were going after him. Turns out he's perfectly fine.....it was a distraction," he said in a rush and then turned his attention towards Draco, who was making his way downstairs and over to them.

"What's going on?" he asked, his thoughts immediately went to Ginny.

"Please tell me that Ginny was up there with you," he said to Draco, hoping by some miracle she was.

"No, she never came here today,"

"FUCK!" he yelled out. "I have to go," he quickly said, turning on his heel and leaving the Manor.

"POTTER, WAIT!" Draco yelled out, running after him, "I'm coming with you,"

"No, Draco, I don't think-"

"Just shut up," Draco cut him off with a snarl before he followed Harry in search of Ginny.

______________________________________________________________

"Mum......MUM!" Ginny called out, to try and wake her mother up from her unconscious state.

She looked around at where she was and she had no idea, she just thought of some kind of wooded area to get to until she had a better place to go. She just couldn't show up anywhere where her family would be at risk; she didn't know if they would somehow follow her.

"Gin-Ginny?" Molly whispered.

"Hey, Mum, are you alright? You have quite the bump there," she said with a wince as she touched it gently.

"I'm fine, are you ok?" she asked, letting Ginny help her to her feet.

She nodded. "Mum, I think we should go to Chamberlain's place for now until we get a hold of Harry. I don't want to risk going to Ron and Hermione's or anyone else in case these people are following us," she said, looking at her mother for approval.

Molly nodded in agreement and put her arm around Ginny's shoulders as they apparated to Will's flat.

As soon as Ginny landed in front of his building she quickly made her way up to his floor with her mum draped over her shoulders. As she neared his door, she saw it was already wide opened and she stood in the doorway with a very confused look.

"What?" she breathed out as she looked at the completely empty apartment.

There was nothing left, it looked like nobody ever lived there. She looked around at the other doors to make sure she had the right apartment and then looked inside his flat once more. She even went inside and looked around and saw that the place was completely empty.

"Ginny? What's wrong?" Molly asked, leaning on the doorway for support.

She turned back towards her mum and frowned. "Nothing, I think I just have the wrong place. Come on, maybe we should just take you to St. Mungo's."

Her mother shook her head no, "Over a bump? I think not," she said, waving her hand.

Ginny just sighed and slid down the wall and sat in the hallway, her mother took a seat beside her.

They were both very quiet for a few minutes.

"Ginny?"

She heard her mother call her name, "Yeah?"

"Why didn't you just apparate to Malfoy Manor?"

Ginny turned to look at her and she didn't say anything.

"You know that is probably one of the safest places right now, that ward that Narcissa put up......it's pretty extraordinary, it would take a lot to get through that, but I think you already know this," she said, looking at her daughter.

Ginny just sighed and nodded, "I know, its just......that's the first place I ever go lately whenever something bad happens and....." she trailed off.

"And what, sweetheart?"

"Nothing, this isn't the time or place for this conversation," she said, clearing her throat.

"Ginevra, we are sitting in a hallway waiting for enough time to go by before we return home...I think we have time to kill," she said with a small smile.

She just looked at her mum, "I....I know I told you that I'm in love with Draco, it's just....every time I'm there and I'm with him I just fall further and further in love with him,"

"That sounds lovely, why would that stop you from going then?"

"Well, it's just that, I'm trying to not to be in love with him, the last time I was there......." she stopped and a giant smile spread across her face as she thought back to the very intimate moment they had. "The last time I was there, I didn't ever want to leave his side again, but...... Sometimes it seems like he might feel somewhat of the same way, but then when I think about everything that has happened to him I know it's not possible."

"Why not?"

"Mum, are you serious? His fiance, the woman he was in love with, the woman he WANTED to marry was murdered. I can NEVER, replace her and I feel quite silly to think he could even possibly think of me in that way." she said and then started laughing at how ridiculous she sounded. "It doesn't matter, every time I try to stay away from him I keep going back and then when I'm there I just can't help it. I don't want him to constantly compare me to her, what I am and what I'm not......I don't think I'll ever be enough, Mum, not for him. I feel like I need to live up to this certain expectation now and I don't know if I can do that. Is this making any sense?" she asked her mum with a frown.

Molly couldn't help but smile at Ginny's words, "Well, you're right.....you can NEVER replace Astoria, but that's because you're not her, sweetie. I think that Draco is......more fond of you than you think he is," she said, lifting Ginny's chin to look at her.

Ginny just bit her lip, "You really think so?" she asked with a slight smile.

"I do, but I think you both still have a lot of healing left to deal with first before either of you can properly love one another," she said, putting her arm around Ginny and pulling her closer to her.

"Yeah.....that's what scares me the most," Ginny whispered before she laid her head on her mum's shoulder.

She was positive about her feelings for Draco, but even though she and Draco had the most unforgettable time together whenever they were in the same room, she still questioned his feelings for her. Yes, he initiated that kiss the other day after she poured out a lot of private feelings for him, but he was also very vulnerable right now. She wanted so badly to just come out and ask him if he loved her and normally that's the kind of person she was, but if it turned out he didn't......she was too scared to know the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? A lot more will be going on in the next few chapters AND hopefully some answers will be revealed.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this chapter took longer to post, I was on vacation celebrating my Anniversary so I wasn't able to write. A few things first...Some people made comments saying the last chapter was shorted than other, but I usually have my chapters anywhere between 6 and 7,000 words and that's pretty long in my opinion. The last chapter was at least 6,500 so perhaps it was the flow of the chapter that made it go by faster? I want to keep you all happy so I apologize if the chapter length seems short. This one is a little over 7,000 =D

"Hey......hey, Miss, are you ok?"

Ginny started to open her eyes and blinked a few times until there was a wrinkled face clearly staring in front of her.

"Are you two alright?" asked an old man bent over her.

She didn't say anything, she was too busy looking around to see where she was and soon realized she was still in the hallway outside of Will's apartment.

"Mum, wake up, we fell asleep," she said, gently shaking her mum awake.

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked the old man again

"Yes, yes, I'm fine....what time is it?" Ginny asked him, getting to her feet and then helping her mum up.

"It's almost seven," he answered, squinting at his watch.

"Seven, geez." Ginny turned to her mum. "Mum, we should just go to the Ministry first before we go home to just make sure it's safe. Harry should be there, especially if he's wondering where we are. Even if he isn't there, I'm sure Chamberlain will be."

Molly nodded in agreement and they both apparated to the Ministry of Magic.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Are you sure she will come here?" Draco asked with a snarl.

"YES!" Harry snapped loudly.

"Alright calm down, Potter, don't get your knickers in a bunch," he said, taking a seat behind Harry's desk. "So this is where the famous Harry Potter works." he drawled, leaning back in the chair and looking at the piles of files all around. "I wonder how many of these files are in relation to my case," he said casually shooting Harry a quick glare.

Harry just shook his head, "Honesty, Draco, at this point I just might take your help, but I want Ginny left out of it." he said, taking a seat across from him.

Draco was completely caught by surprise by Harry's sudden change of mind to let him help. He nodded once he heard Harry's conditions to not involve Ginny and he agreed. After seeing the damage that was done to her when she was attacked, he couldn't bear to see anything else happen to her. Now here he was sitting around waiting and hoping that she was ok and would soon turn up.

"I would also prefer if you didn't tell Ginny you were helping me......she would flip out." Harry continued.

"So you want me to lie to her?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry just looked at him, "Yeah, I guess so. Why? Doesn't seem that something like that would be an issue for you." he casually said with a shrug.

Draco couldn't even imagine how mad Ginny would be if she knew he was helping Harry with his case and she wasn't, especially after how many times she tried to persuade Harry to let her help.

"I...I don't know if I can do that," he said softly, his tone more serious.

Harry was surprised at Draco's comment, he didn't realize Draco thought that highly of Ginny not to lie to her.

"Draco, it's to keep her safe, you think I would lie to her to hurt her?"

"Is that why you lied to her about what's in her file?" he asked, glaring at him.

Harry just glared back, "Yes, believe me, Draco, I......" he just trailed off and started to shake his head before he abruptly got up from the chair and left the office.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny was practically running through the Ministry in the hopes that Harry or even Will were there. She was dragging her mother along with her the whole way until she made it to the hallway and quickly made a dash to Harry's office. She didn't even bother knocking, she just quickly barged through the door and was so relieved when she saw him there.

"GINNY!" both Harry and Draco yelled out in unison.

Harry quickly grabbed her into a hug and looked her over and saw she was ok and then he turned his attention to the small scrape Molly had on her head.

"Mrs. Weasley, are you alright? What happened? Where were you?" he berated them with questions.

"Yes, dear, we are quite alright, as soon as you left last night two men attacked. What about George, please tell me he is alright?" she asked, her eyes welling with tears.

"Yes, he's fine, it was just a distraction for us to leave you guys alone........I'm just glad you're ok," he said turning back to Ginny, who had her eyes firmly on Draco.

"Yeah, me too," Draco said with a small smirk as he locked eyes with Ginny.

"Where's Arthur?" Molly asked.

"He's back at the Burrow with Narcissa, I asked her to put a ward around the house. Just like the one around the Manor so I'll know if it's been compromised at all and if anyone tries to break through." Harry explained.

"A ward? You think that's necessary?" Ginny asked, a bit of anger rising in her voice.

They all looked at her, "Better safe than sorry," Draco said.

She just shook her head, of course she wanted to be safe, but the fact that things have gotten so bad since she became involved with Draco were bothering her for some reason.

"Come on, Mrs. Weasley, we have a small medical department downstairs, I can take you there," Harry said, leading the way out the door. "I'll be back in a few guys."

Once they were gone, it was just Ginny and Draco in the office and she gave a long sigh and sat down. He just stared at her, he wanted to hug her and kiss her like crazy once he saw her barge through that office door. The small thought that something terrible could have possibly happened to her was gut-wrenching.

"What's wrong?" he asked her with a furrowed brow.

She shrugged, "Nothing, it's just......I don't know, is this how my life is going to be now?" she said in a very apparent annoyed tone.

He was quiet for a few moments, he really wasn't sure what to say; of course it was his fault she was in this mess. He did try to warn her not to get involved with him, but he should have tried harder......she was just so fuckin hard to stay away from though.

"I'm sorry, Ginny, I know how you feel," he said softly.

"Do you? Because the last time I checked, I'm the one covered in cuts and bruises head to toe. I'm the one who was almost killed not one, not two, but THREE times, unless I'm missing some other occasion that might've slipped my mind. I thought these people wanted YOU dead, not me, not my family. Oh, that's right, they can't fuckin touch you because you're hiding inside that fuckin prison you call home," she snapped angrily.

Draco was livid at her sudden outburst, he wanted to try and understand, but the fact that she made it out like he had lost nothing these past few years wasn't something he would take lightly. "Are you fuckin serious right now? Do you even hear yourself when you open that fuckin hole in your face? You think I'm hiding? You think I don't want to be able to go wherever the hell I please? I would give ANYTHING, ANY FUCKIN THING TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, BUT UNFORTUNATELY EVERY TIME I DO, SOMEONE I LOVE OR CARE ABOUT OR HAVE ANY SORT OF RELATIONSHIP OR FEELINGS FOR IS KILLED!" he screamed at her. He walked closer to her until his face was only a few inches from hers. "You can say whatever THE FUCK you want and you can THINK whatever shit that fuckin twisted mind of yours wants to think, but the last time I checked EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR LOVED ONES IS STILL ALIVE!" he spat at her, his voice filled with venom and hate. "Oh, that's right, the only brother you did lose and you can't even have the decency to mourn the poor bloke," he said with a sneer before ripping the door open and slamming it shut so hard that he made a frame from one of the walls fall to the floor and break.

Ginny's heart felt like it was being repeatedly stabbed as her body shook with rage. She wasn't even sure if she was mad at Draco or herself more. Why would she say something like that to him, like she really had it that bad? Sure, she had been in a few near-death situations, but they were all her choice....well most of them. She is the one who decided to get involved, even though Draco and Harry told her not to. She couldn't even compare the things she's lost to what Draco had gone through these past few years. Her heart ached at the reaction he had when she first spoke those words to him. How the hell did things get to this?

Ginny walked out into the hall to see if by some small chance Draco was still out there. After seeing he wasn't she saw Will walk into his office and she marched over to the doorway.

"Where were you?" she snapped.

"Excuse me?" he asked, taking a seat at his desk.

"My mother and I were attacked last night at our house and I went to your place thinking you would be somewhat helpful and your flat is completely empty. What the hell is going on?" she asked angrily, her voice rising.

"Um, it's called moving, Ginny. Is that not allowed? Was I suppose to get permission?" he said with a chuckle.

His laugh just made Ginny angrier, maybe she was more angry at the fight she just had with Draco more than anything.

"So you just decided to move one day?" she said, folding her arms.

"It almost sounds like you're accusing me of something.......are you? And why is it such a big deal about me moving? You really need to learn some boundaries because quite honestly you're pissing me off," he said some anger apparent in his voice.

She just shook her head in annoyance. "Whatever, Will," she said before slamming the door shut and leaving the Ministry.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Draco?"

He rolled his eyes as his mother called out to him.

"Draco, are you coming down for dinner?" she asked through the door.

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration and then heard another knock. He gave out a growl of agitation and ripped the door open.

"BLOODY FUCKIN HELL, MOTHER, IF I WANTED TO EAT I'D BE FUCKIN DOWN THERE!" he yelled angrily at her before making his way back over to the couch.

She didn't say anything at his outburst, instead, she just walked into his room and watched him for a moment. "Relationship troubles?" she asked with a slight smirk.

"Mother, please shut up with that shit. There is no damn relationship, there never was and never will be," he snapped.

Narcissa didn't say anything, in fact, she couldn't help the small frown that formed.

"She....she's just so.....so....FUCK, I don't even know because she's so damn bloody fuckin annoying," he said with a sneer as he started to pace in front of the fireplace.

"Love hurts sometimes, Draco," Narcissa said with a sad smile.

He just started to laugh, "Love? Please, Mother, do you really think that's what's going on here?"

"Yes," she simply said.

He just glared at her, "Well, you're wrong."

"Am I? You're pretty riled up over this.....what was it? An argument I'm assuming? If you didn't care that much about her you wouldn't be this hurt over it," she said with a shrug.

He sat back down and just shook his head at her comment.

"You know I'm right, Draco," she said.

"YEAH, I FUCKIN KNOW!" he yelled out in frustration. "Now get the hell out," he snapped.

She just gave him a smug smile before leaving his bedroom.

Draco wanted to stay mad at Ginny forever over the hurtful things she said to him. He tried to understand where her mind was at, but he was just as stubborn as she was and he didn't want to forgive her that easily. The truth was that he said some pretty mean things himself to her; the look in her eyes when he threw Fred's death in her face made him want to find her right now and scoop her up into a hug. He didn't even know how he was going to help Harry without her knowing or keeping it from her, although, after their fight, he was finding it easier to lie to the little firecracker.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day Ginny couldn't wait to get to work after being stuck inside the wards around her house. It wasn't like her parents were making her stay home, but they strongly suggested it every time she mentioned going out somewhere. Right now they were only ok with her either going to work or the Malfoys and being that she and Draco had a huge blowout, it didn't seem like she would be stopping there anytime soon.

It wasn't that much different being surrounded by the ward, but Ginny couldn't fly as high as she wanted and the air wasn't as fresh and crisp as she knew it to be. She almost felt like she was suffocating inside her own home with how impenetrable the wards were and she hated it. She completely understood the reasoning, but she was also bothered that this is what her life had suddenly become.

She was making her way into work when she caught sight of Draco walking in the same direction as her. She wasn't sure how to act after their argument yesterday, but her curiosity was forcing her to converse with him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, Weasley, not that it's any of your business, but I've managed to step out of my "prison" long enough to see what Potter wanted to talk to me about," he drawled with a sneer.

Ginny grew angry at his use of her last name and she knew he was doing it just to get under her skin. As angry as she was, her heart was just completely crumbling within her as she felt her love for him become threatened.

"Why are you being like this?" she asked him suddenly, although she knew why, she just wanted an excuse to keep talking to him.

"Don't you have a job to go do?" he snapped at her.

She followed him all the way to the outside of Harry' office. "Listen, I'm sorry about the things I said yesterday, I-"

"It's fine because it doesn't matter anymore," he quickly said in a dismissive tone as he knocked on the door.

"Really? So.....you don't want to work on your case together anymore?" she asked, her feelings apparently hurt.

"Yeah, I'm all set, thanks," he said with a scowl.

Ginny because livid at his behavior, the fact that it was so easy for him to wipe her from his life completely pissed her off, "You know what, Malfoy.........FUCK YOU!" she yelled at him before turning on her heel and storming into Will's office.

His heart sank at the use of his last name also, not realizing how much it really did hurt to hear her say it. How the hell did they go from sharing the most amazing day together to arguing like this and going back to a last name basis?

"Is everything ok out here?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow as he stood in the doorway, apparently, he overheard more than he should have.

Draco just rolled his eyes and pushed past him into the office and plopped down in a chair. "She's just....-"

"Ginny?" Harry finished his sentence for him.

"YES!" he growled out in frustration.

"So you guys are fighting? About what?" Harry asked curiously.

Draco just glared at him, "Never mind, so what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Do you have Blaise's file?"

Draco didn't say anything, the only thing he thought of was how hard Ginny worked on trying to get all the proper files to work on his case. He suddenly felt ridiculously guilty when he realized she still never got hers, well she did look at it, but they knew there was more to it.

"Because it's not here and it's not in Chamberlain's office so-"

"Yes, I have it.......I also still have a copy of my file and my mother charmed it so that every time you add something to your copy it will appear in mine," he quickly added.

Harry just shook his head, "You know, I don't know who's worse, you or Ginny," he said with some amusement.

"Ginny definitely has the lead, she wanted to replicate it when she first grabbed it, but just didn't know how to override-" He stopped talking when he saw Harry give him a disapproving glare. "And I'm just going to shut up now."

"Yeah, perhaps the less I know about all the illegal stuff you two are doing is best."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny slammed the door to Will's office closed and took a seat in front of his desk, still fuming over her conversation with Draco.

"You're late you know," Will said, as he was flipping through a file before looking up at her.

Ginny just glared at him, "I don't care," she snapped.

"What's the matter? Trouble in paradise? How could that be? You're with the perfect guy," he drawled with an amused smirk.

"You're a real piece of shit, you know that," she said angrily.

He just looked at her with an even wider smirk. "Aww, now that's not nice, you know you shouldn't talk to your boss like that."

"Will, I honestly don't give a fuck.......at all," she said sarcastically. "I don't even need this job, I just do it to pass the time, so fire me if you want."

"Now that's no fun, I rather have you stay here and be miserable."

Ginny just glared at him, "You know, I got a letter the other day that threatened my brother's life AFTER I had just gone to see him earlier that day. I remember saying to myself that day right before I left work, "Gee, I think I'll go see George real quick after work" and then I get that letter."

"Ok, so what's your point?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think you're up to no good and I think you have Harry fooled because you saved his life a few times out there in the field and you've had his back and helped him cover up some shit for Draco and I.....but I think it's all an act," she said accusingly.

The look on his face turned to one of pure anger and he walked around the desk and squatted in front of her chair. "That's a very serious statement, Ginny Weasley, what exactly are you trying to suggest?" he said, his tone was soft but menacing at the same time.

She just looked at him with disgust.

"Don't think I won't throw you in a holding cell downstairs for the night if you keep running your mouth." he threatened.

Ginny just scoffed at his threat and then glared at him once more, "I think you have something to do with Draco's case and I don't mean in a good way. You just suddenly start working for the ministry right after Astoria was killed and then you're so willing to help Harry work on Draco's case when you HATE him, both you and your brother."

"PLENTY OF PEOPLE HATE HIM!" he yelled at her. "The real question, is why don't you? You know that you almost died down there in that chamber right? You know that Lucius Malfoy played a big hand in that? You know that at that time Draco was very much willing to let-"

"THAT WAS A DIFFERENT TIME!" she cut him off, standing up suddenly. She couldn't stand to hear the things he was saying and didn't want him to fill her head with such horrid memories.

"Think of it however you want, but the very fact that you could EVER think so highly of someone who is such a piece of garbage.... makes you just as bad as him."

"You have no idea what things were like for-"

"NO, YOU HAVE NO IDEA!" he bellowed, slamming his fist hard on his desk. He looked like he was trying to compose himself before he completely went crazy. "I think you need to leave now before I arrest you for these false accusations and harassment on a Ministry official."

Ginny just laughed, "Are you serious? If anyone should be arrested it should be you," she snapped.

He quickly waved his wand and Ginny felt her hands tightly bound behind her back. He walked up to her until he was only inches from her face. "I think you're slowly going insane, Miss Weasley," he said softly as he brought up his thumb and wiped a small drop of blood that had apparently been dripping from Ginny's nose. "You really should get this checked out," he said with a smug smirk before dragging her out into the hall.

As he was walking her down the hall, Harry and Draco had just finished up and took in the scene before them.

"What the hell is going on?" Harry asked, looking at Ginny's bound hands.

"No worries, Mr. Potter, Ginny here just needs a lesson in minding her tongue." Will said with a slight grin.

"What could she have possibly said that you need to arrest her for?" Draco asked angrily, trying hard not punch this guys lights out.

"That's an excellent question, well, let's see, oh yes, that's right, she accused me of basically being a murderer," he said, looking at Ginny with a satisfied smile.

Draco and Harry both looked at her like she was completely mental.

"What the FUCK, Ginny?" Harry said through clenched teeth.

She didn't say anything, she just looked at the floor before she glanced up and caught Draco's gaze. Fuck, he was gorgeous, she didn't care about their argument anymore, she just wanted him to apparate her out of here and back to his bedroom so he could fuck her brains out.

"I can escort her down," Harry said

"That's quite alright, I think I can handle it. You know....conflict of interest and all, I want to make sure she actually gets there," he said, before dragging her along.

Harry just glared at him before turning back to Draco, "Why the hell would she say that?"

"I don't know unless she knows something we don't?" Draco suggested. "I mean, Chamberlain's a sketchy fucker anyway and you know how Ginny loves to jump to conclusions."

"I guess let's go pay our a little criminal a visit," he said, gesturing for Draco to follow him.

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Ginny was sitting in the cell with a bloody tissue held to her nose; her head was pounding and the room was spinning. She was angry at herself for acting so carelessly after her encounter with Draco in the hallway. She closed her eyes in hopes the dizzy feeling would soon subside, but it seemed to just make it worse.

"Ginny?"

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of Harry's voice and she tried to get up, but the spinning room made her just lay back against the wall. He entered the cell with Draco behind him and they were all quiet for a moment.

"What the hell were you thinking, Ginny?" Harry started.

She just glared at him and then at Draco, "I guess I wasn't thinking at all," she said softly.

Draco was more concerned about her condition than the fact she was sitting in a cell. "Are you ok?" he asked her.

She just shook her head, "Not really," she said in a small voice.

"I'm going to talk to Chamberlain so we can get you home," Harry said.

"How about to a hospital?" Draco snapped. "This has gone on long enough, you need to find out what the hell is going on," he demanded.

Harry just looked at him and then to Ginny, "I was only under the impression this happened like twice, how many times are you blacking out, Ginny?"

She just shrugged.

"All the time, twice at my place, once here at the Ministry and that's not counting the endless nosebleeds, and debilitating headaches you have almost every day now."

"I DON'T NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL!" she yelled. "Just......just get out," she said with a wave of her hand.

They were both quiet and Draco turned to Harry to ask him to give him a moment with Ginny but he already got the hint before he could say a word.

"I'll be back in a few," he quickly said, before leaving the room.

Draco took a seat next to Ginny and sat there quietly with her for a few moments. "I'm.....I'm sorry,"

"It's fine, I shouldn't have said that stuff to you... I was just frustrated, I'm sorry too," she said with a small smile.

"Who exactly did you accuse Chamberlain of murdering?" he said with an amused smirk.

"I didn't actually accuse him of murder, I just said I think he........"

"He what?"

"I don't know, I just don't trust him and I think he has more to do with your case than we think."

He just stared at her, his expression stiffened a bit. "Why do you think that?"

She just looked at him, "Draco, something isn't right with this guy......I just....." she trailed off and gave a defeated sigh. "Maybe he's right, maybe I am going fuckin insane."

"I'm afraid to tell you this, Ginny, but-"

"Don't say it," she said with a smile.

"You already are insane." he laughed, causing her to slap him on the arm. "If you really think this guy could potentially be involved then we need to find out." he simply said.

She nodded before resting her head on his shoulder, "Can we go back to being friends now?" she asked in a small voice.

He smiled to himself, "Sure." he said, before placing an arm around her shoulders. "Uh, Ginny..... before that happens, I need to tell you something."

She lifted her head to look at him, "What is it?"

"Harry......" he stopped himself. If he told Ginny about him working on his case with Harry she would either be angry or want to help and then Harry wouldn't have either of them help. If that happened then he could jeopardize any chance of him finding out who killed Astoria and Blaise.

"Draco?" she pushed for him to continue.

He looked into her eyes as she awaited his words, "He asked me to help him work on my case....as long as...... you didn't get involved and I didn't tell you." he said.

She looked angry at first, but then a slight smile spread across her face. "This is perfect, now YOU can try to get my file. Maybe he will tell you what's in there," she said excitedly.

"I.....I don't know, Ginny, he was pretty serious about leaving you out of it and I don't want you getting hurt any-"

"So you're just going to forget everything we've worked on and go work with your new pal Harry?" she snapped.

"Stop being like that, I didn't even have to tell you shit."

"THEN WHY DID YOU?"

He got up and walked out of the cell. "Maybe we need to rethink this friend thing or whatever the fuck it is that we are," he said with a sneer before leaving the room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"WAS THAT REALLY NECESSARY?" Harry yelled.

"Calm down, Harry, I'm just teaching her a lesson. You know she runs her mouth and steals files and tampers in Auror business and enough was enough." Will explained.

"I get that, but arresting her?"

"Relax, I'm not doing anything, I just threw her down there to shut her up. You know how hard I've worked on this case to try and help you and then to have her turn around and make me out to be a part of it? How should I have responded?" he said, his feelings seemed genuinely hurt.

"I understand how Ginny can be, but she's going through a lot right now and I know I shouldn't be making excuses for her, but maybe you could cut her a damn break?" he asked with some anger still in his voice.

"With all due respect, Mr. Potter, hasn't she had plenty of breaks recently? Covering up their prints all over a crime scene? Overlooking the fact that she stole Ministry files? I mean the list goes on."

"So where do you want to go from here?"

"I'll let her out in a few hours and she's still welcome to work in my office if she wants as long as these false accusations stop or the next time I'm going to Kingsley," he threatened.

Harry just nodded before leaving Chamberlain's office and when he did, he felt like he trusted him a lot less than he had before.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Alright, looks like the day is almost over so I suppose I'll let you out now." came Will's voice as he unlocked the cell door.

Ginny just glared at him and he walked inside and squatted down in front of her.

"Why are you so set on me being a monster?" he softly asked her, his expression genuine

She just continued to look at him for a moment. "Why did you become an Auror?" she asked him suddenly.

He got up and took a seat beside her. "During Voldemort's time, my parents were murdered by some death eaters. Who it was or how it happened will probably never be answered with how many people were killed back then. Anyway, obviously I wanted to make them pay, but in an attempt to try and be some sort of hero one day, I ended up getting my sister killed as well when I went to seek out information regarding my parents' killer. About two years ago after I was already well on my way to becoming an Auror, my youngest brother Thomas was killed in some crossfire and it just so happened to be a few weeks after Astoria's murder. I have a strong feeling the same people who killed my brother are the same people who murdered Astoria and Blaise. I took a job at the Ministry shortly after that and asked Harry about the case and we agreed to work on it together.....that's it really."

Ginny wasn't sure what to say, she didn't expect any of this to come out of Will's mouth. "That's horrible, so is Joseph your only other brother?" she asked curiously.

"No, in fact, I have five brothers altogether," he said with a light laugh.

"Damn, that's a lot of siblings, believe me, I know." she joked.

"So, can we start over again here and stop this nonsense?" he asked her, holding his hand out for her to shake.

She looked at him for a moment, "I'm still skeptical, but I suppose I'll give you a chance. What about my file? Can you get me it?"

"You are still in a holding cell and you're already asking me if I can steal your file for you," he stated. "Besides, I meant what I said.......I will require something in return."

She looked at his outstretched hand and then going against everything her mind was screaming out to her, she grabbed it and shook it.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day after everything that went down at the Ministry, Ginny had stayed home from work and slept almost all day. Her head was just continuously pounding all the time now and she found herself wiping blood from her nose at least twice a day now. She literally felt like she was losing her mind, everything just seemed to make no sense lately. She finally managed to pull herself out of bed to an owl that was tapping on her window and she dragged her feet over and let him in. She grabbed the letter and quickly read it.

Ginny,

Dinner at the Manor? You know what time.......... we need to talk.

Draco

Surprised by Draco reaching out to her suddenly, she quickly glanced at the clock and saw it was a little after four and decided to go shower and get dressed. She made her way downstairs and saw her mum and dad in the kitchen chatting.

"Hello, sleepyhead," Molly said with a chuckle. "How are you feeling? You look like hell."

"Thanks, and I guess ok......is Harry home from work yet?"

"Not yet, dear.......where are you off too?" Molly asked suddenly, taking in Ginny's attire.

"I'm going to Draco's for dinner." she shrugged.

"I see.....soooo what's going on with you two?" Molly asked as she thought back to the conversation she had with Ginny in the hallway.

"I don't know, Mum, I'll keep you posted," she said sarcastically.

"PLEASE BE CAREFUL!" She called out to her as Ginny was already halfway out the door.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny gave a hard knock on the door and was surprised to see Narcissa answer it so quickly.

"Miss Weasley," she said with a smile and then it quickly faded as she realized her enthusiasm. "I, Uh, didn't realize you were coming......please come in," she said, opening the door all the way for her.

"Thanks," Ginny mumbled.

"So how are you? How's your mother? You both gave everyone a good scare the other day."

Ginny was even more surprised by Narcissa's questions. "We are both doing fine, thanks," she said as she made her way up to Draco's room.

Narcissa just gave a small smirk as she watched Ginny walk upstairs, she was hopeful that Draco and Ginny would work things out.

Ginny gave a hard knock on Draco's door and this time waited for him to answer rather than walk in. He opened the door and looked surprised to see her standing there; he just couldn't stop staring at her, like it was the first time he realized he was madly in love with her.

"Hey," Ginny mumbled as she made her way into his room.

"Hey, I didn't think I would see you today," he said.

"What are you talking about? You sent me that letter to come over and talk, so here I am," she snapped.

"Ginny.........I didn't send anything to you," he said, giving her a confused look.

She looked just as confused as he was, "Did your mother send it?"

"May.....be...." Draco trailed off when he saw the lights flicker for a moment and then looked at Ginny.

"What was that?" she asked, noticing it as well.

"I have no idea-"

He was cut off when there was a loud boom outside and there was a sudden rumbling sensation that filled the house for a moment.

"Draco, that sounds like-"

"The wards," he whispered to himself and then took off running to find his parents with Ginny close behind him.

They didn't even make it to the stairs yet when Lucius and Narcissa already met them halfway. Ginny noticed the panic they all seemed to be in suddenly.

"Mother, what the hell is going on? Has someone broke through the wards?" Draco asked, although he feared he already knew.

"I don't think so, they are still up, but it looks like they have been temporarily disabled, which means......someone just forced their way inside," she said, her voice filled with fear and panic. "You most likely will not be able to apparate out of here until the original wards are back in place." she explained, as she took a quick peek out of the window to see if she could see anyone outside.

"And how long will that be?" Draco asked.

She just looked at him and then to Ginny, "I'm not sure, I don't even know how they managed to disable them, but I want you two to get somewhere safe, do you remember everything we've discussed in case anything like this was to ever happen?" she quickly asked Draco before he could take off with Ginny.

He nodded.

"Good," she said with a small smile, "Now go."

She watched him drag Ginny with him downstairs and then she turned to Lucius, who grabbed her over to a corner where they had an advantage point in case someone broke in.

"Narcissa, how could this have happened?" he asked her, his voice filled with anger.

"I DON'T KNOW, LUCIUS!" she yelled out. "I don't know, I thought I had everything covered....perhaps I missed something," she said, desperately trying to think of something she could've accidentally overlooked.

"How long until Potter is alerted of the breach?"

"It should be immediately," she said, her heart sinking at the possibility of that plan failing as well. She started to wave her wand and metal shutters started covering all the windows and all entrances into the Manor. She stopped and turned to Lucius, "If something happens-"

"Nothing will happen, nobody has even made it through our doors yet and by that time Potter and Aurors will already be here, JUST like we have planned all these years," he said firmly.

She nodded before tightly gripping her wand and following Lucius to a more secure part of the Manor.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Draco wait........Draco hold on a second, DRACO!" she yelled out, ripping her wrist out of his grasp.

He stopped and turned to look at her before he reached up and cupped her face firmly in his hands. "Ginny, listen to me.....if these people really made it in here, then chances are we aren't getting out alive.....not all of us anyway. I mean my parents have prepared for this since everything started, but now that it's happening....." he trailed off.

She didn't know what to say, all she could really think about was the feel of his hands on her face and that was the last thing she should be thinking about right now. "Where are we going?" she asked suddenly after seeing that he had brought her down towards the dungeons of the Manor.

"Any place safe until the disabling charm wears off, once that happens the wards will cause harm to anyone that's a threat inside it," he explained.

"What if they make it inside before that happens?" she asked, her voice filled with panic.

She didn't want to be scared and she normally wasn't, but she knew what these people were capable of, one of them almost killed her and she didn't want to relive that moment again anytime soon.

"Hey, you have to stay clear-headed ok? You got your wand?" he asked, giving her something else to think about for even the slightest of moments.

She nodded.

"Ok, good," he said, then opened his palm and held it out in front of him. "I'll show you something pretty neat, my mother showed me this advanced charm a while ago just for this occasion."

He started waving his wand in a circular motion and said a few spells that Ginny couldn't make out. He started moving his wand in a few different directions until she started seeing some kind of an orb looking thing forming in the palm of his hand and he held it out in front of her.

"What kind of attacking spell do you think you're pretty decent at?" he asked her, a smirk forming on his face.

"Um.....my Reducto spell is pretty wild." she shrugged.

"Good, now point your wand at the orb and perform the spell. Put as much force behind it as you can.....make it good," he explained.

She nodded and then whipped her wand hand about as fiercely as she could, "REDUCTO!" she yelled out.

Her hair blew wildly around her for a moment as the spell shot out into the small orb making it change to a bluish color.

"Brilliant, what else do you have?" he asked her as he shot a few of his own spells inside of it.

"Well, you know I'm famous for my Bat-Bogey hex," she said with a slight smile.

"Fuck that hex, that sucked.......you better put that in then," he said, gesturing to the orb.

Again she waved her wand and shot the hex into the orb. "So, what exactly does this thing do?"

He placed the orb near one of the entrances to the manor. "Think of it like a bomb, once it is triggered, every single curse and charm and whatever else we threw in here will be released. Each spell will hold the same amount of force of how the caster originally performed it and it will cause some heavy duty damage," he explained.

"Wow, that's......amazing, and your mother showed you this?" she asked, pretty impressed by the level of magic.

"Yep, I told you......she hardly breaks a sweat when she comes up with this shit," he said with a smug grin. "Now let's do a few more."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Ah, Harry you're finally home," Mrs. Weasley said with a bright smile. "Dinner is almost ready, dear."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley, just had to finish up some paperwork," he said, plopping down in a seat at the table.

"Now, now, Harry, there's always tomorrow," Arthur joked. "Anyway, Kingsley wants to meet with Lucius and me about the positions this week, I think it sounds like a go ahead," he said happily.

"Arthur, that's great news," Harry said with a smile.

He suddenly felt a vibration in his pocket and his entire body froze as he reached his hand inside and pulled out a small round item that resembled a pocket watch. When Narcissa and Lucius wanted the ward put up around the Manor, Kingsley wanted it monitored by a Ministry official, which of course Harry agreed to, especially with one so powerful as the one Narcissa herself put up. He linked the object in his pocket to replicate the wards and whenever they were compromised in any way it would shake uncontrollably. He took the extra step to make sure he would know right away because of his close involvement in Draco's case, which is why he created the item.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Arthur asked, noticing Harry's expression.

Harry pulled the item from his pocket and it was shaking so much he had to use two hands to hold it. It was even rattling at this point and a few cracks started to form in it.

He jumped up from his seat suddenly. "The wards.....someone got through them?" he asked to himself, surprised that this was actually happening. He looked at Arthur when he finally comprehended what was happening. "WE NEED TO GET TO THE MANOR NOW!" he yelled.

"HARRY!"

He stopped running towards the door when he heard Molly's voice ring out and he looked at her.

"Harry, Ginny's there," Molly cried out.

He didn't waste another second as he and Arthur apparated to Malfoy Manor hoping they weren't too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so a lot of things happening in this chapter, I know Draco and Ginny had some issues this chapter and I know it's another cliffhanger, BUT this chapter would have been ridiculously long if I continued. I will tell you, A LOT OF STUFF WILL BE REVEALED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! Please review!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The chapter you've all been waiting for! The pressure is on, I hope you like it. I had the plot for this story 2yrs back and I told myself I wouldn't change it no matter what...so here it is.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

Ginny had her hand firmly pressed against her mouth and nose to try and quiet her breathing from her racing heart. She had no clue where Draco was and she had no idea how many people were inside the Manor. She saw footprints outside of the closet door she was hiding in and she squeezed herself to the far back as much as she could. The hand that had her wand firmly gripped was shaking uncontrollably and she was scared to death she would drop it on the floor and give away her position.

Draco warned her about them being outnumbered and not to waste her energy and time going after every person they came across and to avoid them if possible. The one thing he told her not to do was to avoid them by hiding so that she wouldn't end up in a vulnerable position and yet here she was. She could already imagine the lecture he would be giving her right now with that damn sneer he wore so well.

She knew Harry and some other Aurors had arrived finally, but she had yet to cross any of their paths. She could just tell by the commotion going on from the downstairs foyer and before she and Draco could make it there, they were separated when three of these people attacked them. Each of them wearing the same plastic black face masks like the one guy did that had attacked Ginny in Harry's flat.

It had been about a half hour now since the wards were temporary disabled and Ginny was hoping that any minute the disablement charm would wear off. Her head was pounding so much that she had to bite her lip to not moan out in pain. She saw the hand covering her mouth was covered in blood from her nose and she quickly wiped it off. She was growing annoyed and angry by the predicament she was in and was about to take her chances when she saw the doorknob of the closet start to turn. Her breath caught in her throat and then she jumped when she heard a loud bang against the door and heard someone fall to the floor.

"Ginny?" she heard someone call out to her.

She didn't care who it was, she was just relieved to be free of the tight spot she had been stuck in. She opened the closet door to see Will standing there, who apparently took down one of the attackers.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

She just nodded.

"Alright, come on," he said, gesturing for her to follow him.

They quickly made their way towards the commotion and a spell breezed right by Ginny's arm causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor. She looked at her upper arm where here sleeve was torn and there looked to be some sort of burn mark. She jumped to her feet and threw out a Confringo curse that made a rather large explosion that caused half the banister and staircase to blast apart.

"Geez, maybe you should be leading the way instead?" Will suggested with a smirk.

"Yeah, well, I'm just pissed now," she said through clenched teeth before she ran ahead in search of Draco.

She quickly caught sight of him down near the foyer and went to make her way over to him when someone suddenly grabbed a handful of her hair and roughly threw her to the hard marble floor. She was barely able to take in what happened when she saw a knife swing down towards her making her grab the person's wrist to stop them. She tried to fight against them, but they were a lot stronger than she was and she just helplessly watched the knife getting lower and lower. She saw the very tip of it start to touch the skin of her shoulder and her arms startle to buckle as her strength started to fail against her attacker. The blade started to enter her skin and she let out a painful scream right before the man was blasted off of her. She quickly sat up and went to look at her shoulder wound when Lucius grabbed her up off the floor and pulled her aside. She realized he was the one who saved her and she felt kind of awkward suddenly and just gave him a quick glance.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

He just nodded and then looked at her shoulder, "It's not bad, you'll live." he said in a stiff tone.

They both looked across the room when they heard the Cruciatus curse yelled out and to Ginny's horror, it was on Draco. She went to run towards him when Lucius grabbed her and held her back.

"Stay here," he said firmly.

"No way, I need to help-"

"FOR ONCE IN YOUR DAMN LIFE DO AS YOUR TOLD!" he yelled at her, his eyes daring her to fight him further on the matter.

She just glared angrily at him as he ran to his son's side.

Draco could hardly make out anything that was going on, all he saw were spells flying everywhere. He had finally got a glimpse of Ginny through the fight and she looked to be for the most part ok which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

"Have you seen Ginny?" Harry asked him after taking down one of the attackers that were about to throw a curse at Draco's back.

"Yeah, she's over there-" he suddenly yelled out in pain as a curse hit him and he fell to the floor.

His mind was immediately brought back to that night Astoria was murdered, he remembered how he had the Cruciatus curse used on him repeatedly that night. He tried to fight the effects of the curse like he attempted to do that night but failed. He watched Harry dueling with the man who attacked him and then he finally felt it starting to wear off. As soon as he went to get up he felt something hard kick him in the face.

"FUCK!" he yelled out in pain, as he spit out a mouthful of blood. He saw the man coming at him full speed and before he could react, he saw his mother in the distance swipe her wand through the air and something hit the guy in the back making him fall to the floor in a puddle of his own blood.

Narcissa quickly ran up to him, "Are you alright?"

"Fuck, Mother, you're brutal," he said with a smirk as he grabbed his jaw where he had been kicked.

"You haven't seen nothing yet," she said with a fierce smile.

She started quickly moving her wand about and started forming something similar to the orb that Draco showed Ginny. Halfway through when the orb started forming she didn't even have to use her wand and was using her hands to perform magic. She held this crystal-like ball in her hands and then smashed it onto the ground, causing shards of ice, glass, and metal to shoot out throughout the room hitting everything in its path. Draco felt it hit him, but he was unharmed by it and noticed it only brought harm to the intruders. He looked around the room to see a lot of blood and a lot of people hurt or dead. He got to his feet and walked over to his mother and father.

"Damn," was all he could manage to get out.

"GINNY, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" came Harry's voice as he ran over to her.

He grabbed her into a hug as she gave a quick nod. "Is Draco alright?"

"Yes, I think he's fine-"

He was cut off when some sort of spell came over him; it felt like a Cruciatus curse, but worse if that was at all possible. It wasn't just him that felt it, but everyone else in the Manor was on their knees too in pain...except Ginny.

"Harry, what is it? What do I do?" she asked desperately trying to help any of them.

She noticed all the attackers started to back off and leave, but yet they were all under some kind of painful curse. Finally, it seemed to have worn off, but it had taken a lot out of all of them.

"What's going on?" Ginny whispered to herself.

She suddenly felt an overwhelming pain in her head and her nose started to bleed again. She grabbed her head and winced in pain and noticed a dark figure across the room starting to walk towards her. She quickly went to bring her wand up when she was disarmed and so was everyone else.

"No, no, no, Ginny, you aren't going to want to miss this," the man said in a deep voice, his face covered in the same black mask.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"GINNY, DON'T TALK TO HIM-" Harry was cut off when another wave of pain hit him again.

"I have what you are looking for...I have everything...you want." the man simply said.

Ginny's eyes locked with Draco's from across the room and he shook his head not to trust a thing this guy said.

"Do you know what these are?" the man asked, holding up a small vial.

Ginny looked at it, "Memories?"

"Exactly, do you know who's?" he asked her as he walked closer to her.

Draco attempted to get up and take this guy down without his wand, but he barely made a move when he too felt that same painful curse coursing through his body.

Ginny glanced over at him and then back at the man, she wasn't sure if she should try and help him or keep listening to the man in front of her. "Those are Draco's?" she asked.

"Nope, but you're getting warm...they do belong to someone in this room," he said, amusement apparent in his tone.

"NO! STOP IT!" Harry yelled out.

Ginny looked at Harry, his voice was filled with fear and sadness.

"Ignore him, Ginny, you see he doesn't want you to see these."

"Why not?" she asked, her voice cracking from the uncertainty before her.

"Because...these are YOUR memories," he said.

"Wh...what?" she asked, confused by what he was actually saying. "I didn't give any copies of my memories to anyone," she quickly said.

"These are not copies...these are the memories that HE had removed from your past," he said, pointing to Harry.

Draco wasn't sure why, but he had stopped struggling altogether once the news about Ginny having missing memories came up. He was just as curious as she was to find out what the hell was going on.

Ginny just stared wide-eyed at Harry, she wasn't sure what to say or how to feel.

"Ginny, you don't understand...AHHHH!" he yelled out in pain as another wave of pain hit him.

"I think it's time she finally did understand...don't you think, Ginny? Aren't you tired of the headaches and nosebleeds...that's because your memories have been trying to piece themselves back together...but here they are...fully restorable."

"GINNY...GINNY, LOOK AT ME!" Harry screamed out to her, his face covered in tears at this point.

She locked eyes with him.

"TRUST ME, GINNY, YOU DON'T WANT THOSE MEMORIES, YOU DON'T!" He yelled out to her, his voice cracking from the sobs that shook his distraught body. "I only did what I thought was best for you."

Draco wasn't sure why, but he felt like he had to stop this guy and went to try to get up when he felt his mother's hand on his arm to stop him. He looked at her for a moment as she shook her head for him to stay put.

"Aww, pity, looks like the disabling charm is wearing off...I guess I'll just leave these here with you then." the man said, leaning forward to hand the vial to Ginny.

She hesitated for a moment, but then held her hand out to take them, but the man purposely dropped the vial on the floor causing it to burst into pieces.

"Oops, guess things will start making sense soon enough," he said sarcastically before disappearing from the Manor altogether with every other intruder that had attacked them.

Harry quickly got to his feet and ran over to Ginny and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders. "Ginny...I'm sorry," he cried out to her as everyone in the room was suddenly pulled into her missing memories.

Ginny found herself inside Harry's flat back when they use to live together and she was sitting in the bathroom on the side of the tub with Harry pacing back and forth right outside the doorway.

"Well?" he asked anxiously.

"Calm down, Harry, it's barely been a minute," she giggled.

He just nodded and gave her a quick smile before he continued pacing.

They both waited in silence for another minute until he finally heard Ginny give a loud gasp.

"What? What is it, what does it say?" Harry quickly asked her.

She ran out of the bathroom and with a giant smile on her face. "It's positive," she squealed in delight as she threw her arms around him and he held her tightly.

She just stared at him for a moment and then smiled brightly at him. "I can't believe this, I love you," she said before she pulled him into a deep kiss.

Ginny felt her heart sink as she watched the memory of her being pregnant and all she could do was fear what was to come. She turned to look at Harry as she tried to desperately piece everything together. The memory soon faded into her and Harry sitting at the table at the Burrow and Harry was covered in cuts and bruises and she looked to be about five months pregnant.

"ENOUGH OF THIS HARRY!" Ginny yelled at him, while she tended to his wounds.

"NO! I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO ME!"

"WELL, I DO!" she screamed at him and then gently grabbed his face to look at her. "You need to stop working on Malfoy's case, these people are coming after you now because you're helping him," she said softly.

He just looked away from her.

"Harry, we are going to be parents soon...you can't just keep doing this now, we are going to be a family. You've been working on this case for a long time now and it's caused nothing but trouble for him and you. I can't watch you get hurt like this all the time and all these near death attacks. Please back off of it for a while?" she asked him, her eyes pleading with him.

Again the memories had changed to a different scene, this time she was in Harry's office and she was very very pregnant. She also had a very pissed off look on her face as she slammed his office door shut.

"YOU PROMISED ME YOU WERE DONE WITH THIS CASE AND YOU'VE BEEN LYING TO ME FOR MONTHS!" she screamed.

"Ginny, calm down, I know, I'm sorry, it's just-"

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT ANYMORE, WHEN WILL YOU STOP? WHEN YOU'RE DEAD? I WON'T HAVE IT, HARRY, TELL ME YOU'RE DONE WITH IT RIGHT NOW!" she demanded.

He didn't say anything.

"Why are you so set on solving this case? You haven't had any leads...just more problems."

"Ginny, you don't understand...I just can't be ok with what they did to him...to her..." he trailed off at the memory of finding Astoria that night in Draco's arms.

"Harry, I can only imagine how that must have been and I feel for him...I really do, but...your first concern should be our daughter, who by the way will be here in just a few weeks," she said with a light smile.

He looked at her with a small smile and leaned in to kiss her. "You're right, I'm sorry," he softly said as he laid his hand on her pregnant belly.

The next scene that surrounded Ginny must have been later that same day since she was in the same clothes and her belly was still the same size. It was night time and there was a light breeze in the air as she watched herself waiting for someone.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to finish up some paperwork and then Kingsley was talking my ear off," Harry said as he placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

"That's alright, none of the girls from the team showed up yet anyway," she said with a shrug.

"Alright, well, why don't I get us a table?" he suggested.

"Yeah, that'd be great, I'll wait out here and enjoy this beautiful night until the girls show up," she said with a smile, waving him on into the restaurant.

Ginny was waiting a few minutes for some of her friends from her Quidditch team to show up and after most of them arrived, she was getting ready to go inside when she heard someone say her name.

"Ginny? Ginny Weasley? Wow, I haven't seen you ages."

She turned around to see Blaise Zabini walking up to her.

"Oh, wow, hey, Blaise...funny seeing you here suddenly," she said with a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm actually meeting Draco a few blocks from here, we're just, you know...playing detective," he said with a smirk.

Draco's body froze at this moment in the memory because this was the night that Blaise was killed. He remembered the area all too well and even the clothes Blaise was wearing the day he took his final breath.

"You want to tag along and say a quick hello to your favorite Slytherin?" he teased her.

She gave a light laugh, "As amazing as that sounds, I'm going to have to pass," she said sarcastically. "Harry and I are meeting some friends here for dinner," she said with a nod towards the restaurant behind her.

"You know... we should go out for dinner sometime."

She slapped him on the arm, "You need to stop asking me out and if you haven't noticed, I'm pretty committed to my current relationship right now," she gestured to her pregnant belly.

"Ah, well, I guess you're right," he teased making her laugh.

They were both quiet for a moment.

"You both need to be careful with this case...I didn't realize you were helping Malfoy with it."

"Yeah, well, he's my best friend so I'll do anything I can to help."

Ginny just gave him an understanding nod, "Well, guess I'll see you around then." she said with a small wave.

"Yeah, I'll see ya."

"BLAISE!" she called out to him.

He turned to look at her.

"Just...just be careful out there...both of you," she said, before giving him a quick smile.

"Will do," he smiled back at her before he made his way down one of the side streets.

She went to walk into the restaurant when she felt something hit her and for some reason, she turned around and started walking down a back alleyway. She tried to make her legs stop moving her forward, but it was no use and soon she found herself all the way in the back behind some boarded up building. She finally felt whatever was controlling her fade off and she grabbed her head as she became confused by where she was.

"I just love when the prey comes to us," someone said.

"Who are you? Why am I here and what did you do to me?" she asked angrily, grabbing her wand and putting up a Protego charm to protect herself.

"Aww, sweetheart, that's not going to work I'm afraid," the man said sarcastically as five or six other men suddenly joined him.

All of them were wearing those black face masks.

Draco wanted so much to run into this memory and grab Ginny from what he feared was about to happen.

Before Ginny could react, a spell was shot at her Protego charm that sent her flying backward into the brick wall behind her. She fell to the floor and went to get up when someone punched her in the face and then another person kicked her hard in her stomach. She screamed out in pain and swung her wand arm up and threw out a very powerful Reducto spell that gave her the opening she needed to make a run for it.

She heard Harry in the distance calling out her name and she ran as fast as her legs would carry her in her condition. She felt something start to wrap around her legs as she barreled towards the sound of Harry's voice and then her legs were pulled out from under her. She hit the cobblestone ground hard, cracking her head as she fell. She turned over onto her back to see the men walking towards her and she tried with everything in her to pull herself up off the ground. She could feel the warm blood pouring down her face and her entire scalp become soaked with it. She tried to feel around for her wand she dropped and had no luck; she was scared for her life at this point and her child's.

"GINNY!" she heard Harry scream out to her and she saw him down the alleyway running towards her.

Seeing him gave her the strength she needed to pull herself up and start running again. She was almost to him and she was hit with a very powerful Cruciatus curse that brought her to her knees. Harry was running as fast as he could and was already throwing every spell he had at the attackers when he suddenly slammed into some kind of barrier.

"No," he whispered out as he jumped to his feet and tried to walk through it. "NO!" he yelled out this time and shot a slew of curses and charms at the barrier between him and Ginny.

Ginny crawled over to the clear wall that separated her and Harry and she banged on it in some pathetic attempt to try and get to him. Someone pulled her back by her hair and she went to try and run when another person grabbed her by her throat and threw her backward onto the ground.

"GINNY! LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE! SHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!" Harry screamed, his eyes filling with tears.

One of the men crawled on top of Ginny and covered her mouth with his hand and pulled out a knife. He dragged it from her cheek, making sure to leave a small cut and then all the way down to between her legs and then back up towards her stomach and stopped. He leaned forward until he was only an inch from her ear.

"Oh, Ginny, just think...this all could have been avoided if your precious Potter would have stopped interfering. Now, I want you to know...I'm going to kill your baby, ok?" he said to her.

Ginny started sobbing and shaking her head no beneath the man's hand that was still covering it. She turned her tear-stained face towards Harry, who was completely helpless right now to her.

"STOP! I'M DONE INTERFERING I SWEAR I'M DONE, I'LL CLOSE THE CASE, JUST PLEASE DON'T HURT HER!" Harry cried out.

"Oh, I'm pretty positive after this you definitely won't be getting in the way again," the man said as he jabbed the knife hard into her stomach.

"NOOOOOO!" Harry screamed as he pounded as hard as he could on the barrier until his hands were bleeding and still tried every single spell and curse he could think of, even though, he knew they wouldn't work.

Ginny's screams were muffled as her body struggled violently underneath the man to try and get up. Two other men held her down as the man with the knife pulled it out and stabbed her again right in the middle of her stomach. This time her screams were so loud they echoed throughout the alleyway and her hands desperately tried to grab anything on the cobblestone ground to use as a weapon.

The man finally got off of her and had the two other guys pull her up off the ground as her body lay almost limp in their arms.

"Hmm, let's see...I do like to be thorough in my work," he said before he took the knife one last time and stabbed her once more in the stomach.

Ginny could taste the blood that filled her mouth as she gave another bone-chilling scream and fell into the man's arms as her legs gave out on her.

"Aw, there, there, it will all be alright," he said softly to her as he stroked her hair with his bloody hands.

Harry couldn't do anything but watch in horror, his body in a heap on the ground as he still tried to fight through. The man dragged Ginny in his arms over to the barrier next to Harry and leaned her up against it facing him.

"Don't forget, Potter, YOU did this, but you know you guys could always try again I suppose," he said as he started to walk away. "Oh, hold on now, I almost forgot about another small issue," the man said, walking back over to Ginny and grabbing her roughly by the hair. "Not only are you interfering with our work, but I know that you're protecting that worthless, no good family of murderers...so just you know how we feel about that..."

The man took the knife and plunged it deep into Ginny's chest and then threw her to the ground.

"NOOOOO! GINNY!" he screamed out as he fell into a fit of sobs.

"I think we've made our point," he said before the barrier between Harry and Ginny disappeared and the men were gone.

Harry couldn't get to her fast enough as he pulled her into his arms, she couldn't speak she was just desperately trying to cling on to any chance of surviving.

Ginny was completely numb as she watched the memories before her play out. Every time she saw herself being stabbed, she could almost feel it. As soon as she thought that was everything she needed to see it would change to another scene; this time she was in the hospital looking at herself and Harry. She saw herself lying in the bed completely bruised and cut up head to toe...she was unrecognizable. She even had a patch of her hair missing from the head wound she got.

"Mr. Potter...Miss Weasley?" said a nurse as she entered the room.

They both just looked at her, their faces pale and their eyes swollen from the events that happened what appeared to be a few days ago.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," she said softly.

They were both silent.

"Ginny, unfortunately, we will have to induce your labor so we can-"

"WHAT?" she snapped angrily at her. "YOU WANT ME TO GIVE BIRTH TO MY DEAD BABY?" she screamed at her.

Harry gently grabbed her hand and she ripped it from his grasp.

"Ginny, I know how horrible that sounds, but-" the nurse was cut off by Ginny once more.

"Can't you just do it a different way? I mean you're a MediWizard for fuck's sake," she growled out angrily as a few tears started falling from her eyes.

"I understand that Ginny, but unfortunately magic doesn't solve everything...we are still human. We can wait a few days if you want until-"

"No...no, I just...I just want her out." Ginny choked out as she fell into a fit of sobs.

The next scene that the memories went to was the hardest for Ginny to watch, she was sitting there in the hospital bed with Harry beside her, cradling her lifeless baby.

"She's pretty perfect looking, huh?" Ginny softly said as her thumb gently caressed the small pale cheek.

Harry nodded through a small tear filled smile. "And of course she has that Weasley hair."

Ginny looked at him and gave the smallest of nods and then started shaking her head as she looked back at her daughter. She completely lost it, her body shook uncontrollably with sobs as she held her baby close to her. Harry scooped her into his arms and held her tightly as they both cried.

The scene changed again and this time she wasn't in it...it was just Harry's memories.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT THE SIDE EFFECTS ARE I JUST WANT IT DONE!" Harry screamed out.

"You should ask her first, you should talk to her to see how she feels about that?" Molly tried to reason with him.

"Molly, she's slowly killing herself, she's just wasting away...she's never going to be the same again...maybe we should do this," Arthur suggested.

"But making her forget completely about her baby? She wouldn't want that." Molly said, her eyes tearing up.

"MOLLY, SHE TRIED KILLING HERSELF NUMEROUS TIMES! SHE'S GOING TO END UP DEAD IF SOMETHING ISN'T DONE AND I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN. ENOUGH OF THIS IS ALREADY MY FAULT AND I WON'T HAVE THIS ON MY CONSCIENCE TOO!" Harry yelled as he started to spill tears of his own.

"Harry she's our daughter, I think we -"

"AND SHE WAS THE MOTHER OF MY CHILD!" he bellowed.

"Come on, mate, let's go get some air," Ron said, leading him out of the room by the shoulders.

The memories faded into another scene where Ginny was asleep in the hospital bed and Harry was holding her hand tightly as he sat beside her. He just watched her sleep and kissed her hand softly and just hung his head.

"You were right... they were right...it's my fault this happened, I should have listened to you." he shook his head as he looked up at her sleeping form. "I'm so sorry, Ginny, I know you could never forgive me, I can't even forgive myself...I could never forget what I've done...but I can make you forget." He stood up and kissed her head. "I just want you to be happy and to live your life to the fullest...you deserve it...not this...not me." he started crying. "Goodbye...my Ginny," he said before he quickly left the hospital room.

After that, the cloud surrounding all of them started to disappear and the small stream of memories hovered around Ginny's head before it gently dissolved inside of her. Once she got her memories back, everything she had just watched she was able to feel and it was the most overwhelming thing she had ever felt. She lifted her hand to her nose where there was blood coming from and then looked around the room. She could feel the memories trying to piece everything back together.

She glanced over to Harry, who was a total mess, he didn't dare speak a word to her in fear of how she would respond...nobody did. She locked eyes with Draco across the room, her heart didn't even feel any kind of love for him at this moment...she felt nothing. Nothing between her and Draco mattered anymore, only the memories that she lived all these years without.

"Gin-"

She didn't even let Harry get a word out, she just quickly ran from the Manor and apparated out of there.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It had been a few hours since the wards were back in place at the Manor and Narcissa had worked on a more complex charm to make it even more impenetrable. She thought she had come up with almost every possible way of keeping anyone out, but after going over it once more she tied up any loose ends to anyone ever making it through again.

After Ginny had taken off earlier, Draco wasn't sure how to respond, he knew he definitely shouldn't have gone after her. He also didn't dare speak to Harry either after finding out the horrible events that happened to them and all because of him. Harry tried so hard to help him catch Astoria's killer and he put Ginny and his unborn child in harms way for it. He felt so guilty, he couldn't even begin to think about the look of shock on Ginny's face as he watched her take in those brutal and heartbreaking memories.

He heard a knock on his door and ignored it until it was finally opened and his parents walked in. They both had taken a seat beside him and they were all quiet for a while as they all thought about what happened earlier.

Narcissa cleared her throat, "Um..." she trailed off when she realized she couldn't think of anything to say and they were all still quiet.

"This is all my fault," Draco finally whispered.

Narcissa and Lucius just exchanged a look.

"Draco-"

"Just...don't, Mother...I... I don't even know what to say or do. When we had an argument the other day I basically told her she hadn't lost nearly as much as I have from this entire thing...and yet..." he trailed off and hung his head, quickly rubbing his eyes to dry up any emotions that dared to spill.

"You didn't know any of that, son...what happened was horrible, but Potter knew the risks of getting involved." Lucius tried to make Draco see things differently.

"No, I pushed him to keep helping me, I wasn't thinking about anyone but myself."

"Draco, if anything ever happened to you, I would do the same thing. You think I would care at that moment who else I would be hurting? All that would matter at that moment was you, so you're being too hard on yourself. You were just trying to do right by Astoria... what you thought you had to do." Narcissa said, her voice cracking with emotion.

He turned to look at his mother, his lip desperately trying not to tremble with emotion. "I love her, mother, I don't know how to handle this...I don't know what to do or how to feel. The only thing I am positive about is how much I fuckin love her," he said the last part with such emotion as he broke down right there in front of his parents not caring how pathetic he must look to them.

"I know, Draco...I know," she said softly as a few tears of her own slid down her face.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny had been in her room for hours just crying, they weren't even tears from what she was feeling...she was still numb from everything, but for some reason, the tears kept spilling, there was just no emotion to them. She finally made her way downstairs for a glass of water and she saw her parents, Harry, Ron and Hermione talking in the kitchen. She became enraged all of a sudden when they all stopped talking as she entered the kitchen. Her eyes fell on Harry, who looked just as emotionally distraught as she did, but she didn't care.

"Don't worry, I'm just getting a drink and then you all can plot how you'd like to maybe steal my memories again," she casually said as she took a few sips from her glass.

"Sweetie, we weren't trying to-"

"Just shut up, Mum, there is nothing any of you can say to me right now that would be ok... especially you," she hissed at Harry.

He just nodded that he understood.

She started to walk out of the kitchen and then stopped and looked at Harry again. "Why did you make me believe you cheated on me with Cho?"

"Because I had to distance myself from you...there were a few complications after they took your memories and filled the gaps." he managed to explain in a hoarse voice.

"Like what?" she snapped.

He didn't answer.

"LIKE WHAT, HARRY?" she screamed at him, slamming her hands down on the table.

He locked eyes with her. "Like your relationship with George...when you woke up...for some reason you couldn't stand to look at him..." he trailed off into a whisper.

She just stared at him in shock, she thought she just couldn't look at George because she didn't want to cope with her brother's death, but sometimes she didn't realize why she hated George so much, why she could never stand to look into his eyes or share a laugh with him anymore. The fact that it was from her memories being taken made her that much angrier.

"Ginny-"

"DON'T TALK TO ME...ANY OF YOU!" she yelled out as her mother attempted to comfort her. "I need to get out of here for a while," she quickly said as she left the Burrow.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny ran as fast as she could, she didn't care how late it was as she ripped the door open to the apartment building. She ran up the steps and started pounding as hard as she could on the door as her tears started to fall.

The door was quickly ripped open in a frenzy at the loud banging and he looked at her wide-eyed and worried.

"Ginny? What the hell are you doing here so late?"

She just stood there and looked at him, her body shaking.

"Ginny? What's wrong?" he asked, grabbing her shoulders.

"I love you... I'm so sorry, I don't want to hate you anymore," she cried out as she threw her arms around her brother's neck and hugged him tightly. "I can never forgive myself for how I treated you and I can never get that time back," she sobbed. "Please don't hate me, George...please."

George hugged her tightly back and he could tell she wasn't going to let go anytime soon. He had heard about what happened earlier at the Manor from his parents and he could only imagine what Ginny must be going through. He knew things were different once her memories were removed and he dealt with her hate for him so that she could be happy. He was saddened that the truth came out like this and he knew she must feel betrayed by her entire family. He remembered the state she was in after the death of her child, at that moment he just wanted his sister back and he had sided both with Harry and his mother on what steps to take to try and help her.

He managed to pull her back a bit to see her face, "Ginny, I could NEVER hate you and I never have, I just want the old us back." he said, as he shed a few tears and pulled her into another tight hug. He couldn't help but feel like he was reunited with his long lost sister.

Ginny finally pulled away from him, her face covered in tears.

"Come on, I'll make you some tea," he said to her with a small smile.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny walked back into the kitchen of the Burrow around three in the morning and found Harry up. They both looked at each other for a moment before she took a seat across from him. She wasn't sure why the entire fact that she was pregnant and her child was killed hasn't hit her yet...she was so overwhelmed with shock from the memories that she didn't even know how to even begin to feel or cope with something like that. Instead, she decided to find out all the unanswered questions she still had.

"You...you made me hate you all these years because you made me believe you cheated on me with Cho..." she said, her voice already breaking from the emotional lump in her throat. "You made me forget about everything...everything just so I can be happy and what? So you can be miserable?"

"I didn't care about that...I only cared that you were happy," he explained through his own tears.

"You had no right to do that," she said angrily.

He just nodded, "I know...I don't what to say, Ginny, I thought I was doing the right thing."

"Why don't I have any scars from the attack?"

"They were healed to a great extent, but the rest were concealed when your memories were removed. Now that you have them back...they'll be visible." he gently explained.

"Did you know I was having the nosebleeds because I was around things that triggered those memories you took from me?"

"No, I didn't know why that was happening, I swear."

They were both very quiet again, just the sound of an occasional sniffle from their emotions.

"I saw those memories, Harry...I feel them now, maybe not fully yet, but I remember at least how much I loved you...how much I loved US...HOW MUCH YOU LOVED ME!" she cried out. "And you threw it all away, you made me forget about...about that love...and now...I don't even know what to say."

"I still love you, Ginny...I never ever stopped, but I couldn't love you and be with you when I knew the truth...that every day I had to pretend that she never-"

"DON'T!" Ginny cut him off. "Don't say anything about her...I can't right now..." she trailed off and quickly left the kitchen before Harry could make her remember the memories of their child.

She ran up to her room and slammed the door hard and fell to her knees in a fit of sobs. She couldn't believe this was happening to her, she could feel the memories starting to settle in her mind and everything from the past started to become more clear. Everything was starting to make sense and come together and it made it that much harder for her to avoid the inevitable. She could start to remember being pregnant and then she could start to feel how scared she was that night...it was like everything was happening to her all at once.

She crawled over to the mirror and lifted her shirt up to reveal three faded scars and she completely lost it. She was hoping she was going to wake up from some horrible nightmare, but when she pulled down the top of her shirt to reveal the last scar on her shoulder...she knew it was all real and it was her reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so there it is...I know there was some dark stuff there, your thoughts on this chapter? Please Review! I need them to survive =P


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to just give a HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I know there was some unexpected things that people didn't see coming, but I am overall very happy with it. Hope you guys enjoy this one =D

It had been a little over a week since Ginny had found out about her missing memories and got them back. Her memories had fully settled back in place after the first day and she remembered EVERYTHING. She just suddenly stopped living after she found out about the daughter she lost, she was barely eating and didn't talk to anyone. Every time her mother brought something up to her room to eat. she had to watch Ginny take at least a few bites before she was ok with letting her go back to sleep.

All Ginny did was sleep in bed all day, she was either crying or sleeping from passing out from crying. There wasn't one single ray of sunshine that she let in, she just had all her blinds and curtains shut and every time her mother would attempt to open them, Ginny would have a huge blowout with her. Ginny didn't want to see anyone or talk to anyone, Harry had made several attempts to talk to her, but she shot him down every time. George had stopped by a few times to see her and Ron and Hermione too, even Bill and Charlie. This was exactly why Harry kept this from her all this time.....because he knew she would lose herself.

One morning Ginny had thrown on some clothes and dragged herself to work. She was walking down the hall and saw Harry talking to Will and he looked shocked to see her out of her bedroom.

"Ginny? What are you doing here?" he asked her.

She just shrugged, "Working.....I guess," she said before she walked into Will's office and took a seat at the desk.

Both Harry and Will followed her in there.

"Ginny, I don't think work is where you should be-"

"WELL THIS IS WHAT I WANT RIGHT NOW!" she yelled at him. "Is that a problem or do you want to bottle this up too, and give it to me two years from now?" she snapped.

He didn't say anything.

"It's alright, Harry, I need to catch up on some stuff anyway.... she could stay if she wants," Will suggested.

Harry just nodded, "Ginny, if you want, you can come work back in my office," Harry offered.

"No thanks, I don't really need to steal any files or anything anymore so I'm all set," she said sarcastically.

Harry just slammed the door shut and went back to his office.

Will just took a seat beside her, "Ginny, are you sure you want to be here?"

She just glared at him, "No, I'm not, but I don't want to think about it anymore......I'm just going to force myself to forget it and go back to how things were." she said.

"I think you're going to have to deal with this at some point-"

"NO! I won't...I can't," she said.

She realized that leaving her bed altogether was a bad idea, she was nowhere ready to face the world and there was just no way she could forget something like this. She watched Will stand up and start to say something to her that she wasn't even listening to, she had just seemed to completely zone out. She quickly got up in a panic as her mind refused to let her forget about those horrid memories.

"Are you alright, Ginny?" he asked her, placing a hand gently on her arm.

She just looked at his hand, she remembered whenever she wanted to clear her mind, she would just have one of her fuck sessions with Draco. Not thinking about anything her body was doing and not caring about any feelings she had towards this prick in front of her, she leaned forward and kissed Will.

She couldn't stand him, not one bit, but he was here and she didn't want to break down and completely lose it right now, so she was desperate for a distraction.

He didn't even hesitate on kissing her back, he just swung her around against his desk and propped her on the edge of it as she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him roughly towards her. She could tell he didn't mind it at all and he was rather rough himself with how he groped her and kissed her like some savage. His hands held her tightly to him and they forced their way to whatever part of her body he wanted them to go.

She closed her eyes to try and get lost in the moment, but as soon as she did, her mind went straight to Draco. This was the first time he had entered her mind at all since she got her memories back and she remembered everything they once shared. She had suddenly realized what was happening and before it went any further she pushed him roughly off of her.

"What's wrong?" he asked her through his heavy breathing.

"This is wrong, I have to go, I'm sorry I can't.....I need to get home," she said and then quickly left the office.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny barged through the door of the Burrow and ran upstairs to the bathroom and threw up. What the fuck was she thinking....well she wasn't for starters, she was just scared to death of letting herself feel everything from her memories. She had spent the past five years teaching herself not to cry and not to let anything bother her and to live carefree. She was so much happier that way, yes she felt like something was missing still, but for the most part, everything was ok. She knew it was a losing battle, she just hoped by doing something so ridiculous today that it would somehow steer her mind somewhere else. Instead, now she just felt sick to her stomach and had the memory of Will's hands on her body.

"You are so fuckin stupid," she choked out as she pulled herself up to the sink and rinsed her mouth out.

She just stared at herself in the mirror, she had dark circles under her eyes and her face just seemed to be permanently covered in tears all the time now. She thought that she had broken down already from this, but it hadn't come yet.....but she knew it was only a matter of time.

"Ginny?" she heard someone call out through the door.

She opened it to see Ron standing there.

"Hey.....I wanted to come see you before work....I'd ask how you're doing, but.." he trailed off when he saw her condition.

She just started shaking her head, "I kissed Will," she said, disgust apparent in her voice.

"Ew, yuck, why?" he asked, surprised she was even speaking to him.

She just glared at him, "BECAUSE, RON, I'M LOSING MY FUCKIN MIND!" she yelled at him.

Molly had just made her way upstairs to check on Ginny as well when she heard the yelling. "Ginny, dear, calm down, here I made you something to eat," she said, holding a tray.

"I DON'T WANT ANYTHING!" she yelled, flipping the tray out of her mum's hands so hard she made her jump. "I WANT TO JUST BE LEFT THE HELL ALONE!" she screamed, making her way to her room.

"GINNY-" Ron attempted to calm her down, but instead she just whipped around with a look of pure rage on her face that made him stay quiet.

"I don't care how any of you feel, I don't care how ridiculous I'm acting, I don't even care if I die in my fuckin bed.......JUST LEAVE ME BE!" she said before she slammed her door shut and threw herself onto her bed.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Narcissa had just come from Draco's bedroom after checking up on him, she was pleased to see he didn't go back to his darker days where he had stopped eating, shaving and socializing altogether She was even pleased to see his room was still somewhat clean and he would still try to make an effort to make his way out of his room. She could tell he was completely miserable since the attack at the Manor and Ginny finding out about her memories. She was making her way down the stairs towards the front doors when she stopped and just stared at the doorway. She gave a small smirk and a silent laugh as she thought back to the many times she would find Ginny helping herself inside. She lost count of how many times she opened that front door to find that little redhead standing there. Her smirk turned into a small smile and then to a frown as she looked around the foyer of the Manor....everything was quiet and lifeless....she actually missed Ginny Weasley.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It had been another two days after Ginny's attempt to go to work and pretend everything was normal. She had been in bed the entire time and refused to eat anything her mother brought up to her. Harry kept trying to talk to her, but she would just lay facing the wall and kept her back to him....to everyone.

Harry gave a knock on her bedroom door at another attempt and of course, after no response, he let himself in. He sat on the side of her bed and placed a hand on hip.

"Ginny?"

She didn't answer him, she lay there with her eyes closed, but knew he was there.

"I don't know what else to say.......I know no amount of apologies will ever be enough. Please just talk to me," he pleaded with her.

She just lay there as she listened to his words, tears spilling from her bloodshot and puffy swollen eyes. She didn't think she could cry anymore, but she was wrong. She grabbed the blankets and pulled them further over her head, making Harry retract his hand and give up on trying to get through to her.

He made his way downstairs and sat at the table and just ran his fingers through his hair. Molly slid a plate of dinner in front of him. "Any luck?" she asked in a small voice.

He looked at her and just shook his head.

"Harry, we might need to think about bringing her to St. Mungo's if she doesn't-"

"NO!" he said, cutting Arthur off, "I can't do that to her......I'm sorry.....I know this is my fault,"

"Harry, stop that, you did what you thought was best at the time because you love her so much. She doesn't see that now and she might never, but she will come around eventually, you have to believe that." Molly said, trying to believe it herself.

He just shook his head, "I don't think so," he was quiet for a few moments and then got up abruptly, "I'll be back in a little while." he quickly said before leaving the Burrow.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco made an effort to come down to dinner tonight and a lot of it was him just pushing food around like he normally did. Even his parents weren't finding getting through dinner easy these days, but he knew they did it for his sake. He just gave a sigh and dropped his fork after he had enough of pretending to eat. Narcissa just looked at him with a sad smile and then exchanged a look with Lucius.

They were all surprised suddenly when they heard someone enter their wards and there was a hard knock on the door. Draco sat up in his seat as he hoped it would be Ginny at the door, but he knew that to be highly unlikely since it had been almost two weeks since he seen her last.

Tilly came walking into the dining room with Harry beside her, his eyes immediately locked with Draco's. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, his voice strained to try and keep the emotion out of it.

Draco of course nodded and followed him back into the foyer, his parents were both out of their chairs so they could eavesdrop.

"How's Ginny?" Draco asked before he could stop himself.

Harry didn't say anything, he just shook his head, tears already stinging his eyes. "She's.....I don't even know....she has shut everyone out....she's not eating, she just lays in bed all day and refuses to speak to anyone. Occasionally she has these ridiculous moments where she tries to act like everything is fine, but it just backfires and makes it worse." he said, wiping his face from his fallen tears.

Draco didn't know how to respond, he was shocked to even see Harry here, to see him speaking to him at all. He felt for Harry, he couldn't believe what Harry sacrificed for Ginny's happiness....it was unbearable and heartbreaking to watch him struggle like this.

"I think you should try to talk her," Harry said.

Draco was taken aback by his suggestion, "Me? I'm probably the last person she wants to see, are you nuts?"

"I think you're wrong.....I think she would want to see you more than you or she even thinks," Harry said.

"I don't think I can do that, you realize that I'm the person that made all of this happen, this was all because of me. If I hadn't continuously pushed you to-"

"JUST STOP!" Harry yelled out. "I made these decisions ON MY OWN! You didn't force me to do shit," he said firmly.

They were both quiet.

"Listen...... we can point fingers all day long, but right now all I care about it Ginny and getting her to some sort of better state of mind, I mean....she went to work the other day and started making out with Chamberlain," Harry said, remembering back to when Ron told him about Ginny's crazy episode.

"WHAT?" Draco said a lot louder than he intended to. "Why the hell would she do that?" he asked, a disgusted sneer covering his face at the mere thought of it.

"Because, Draco, she's acting carelessly.......just.....please think about what I said."

Draco just nodded before he watched Harry leave the Manor.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny's eyes snapped open after a nightmare she had of that horrid night; she swore she could feel every stab wound all over again. She slid her hand down to her stomach where she ran her fingers over one of her scars and felt herself because nauseated by the mere memory of giving birth to her dead daughter. She hated remembering everything, she still remembered how she smelled when she held her in her arms and the feel of her few hairs that she had run her fingers through.

Her eyes burned so much from crying that it became almost painful to even cry anymore, but she couldn't help it. She finally felt herself about to drift off into an uneasy sleep again when there was a knock on her door. She just continued to try and fall asleep when there was another knock that she ignored just like she did all day every day. She heard the door open, letting the light from the hallway light up the wall she was facing as she heard someone walk in.

"Looks like someone's been neglecting their chores."

Ginny's eyes snapped open at the sound of Draco's voice.

He walked into her room and she heard him place something down on the side table by her bed. "My mother attempted to make muffins, banana nut," he said.

Ginny thought back to that day she first went to visit Draco and cunningly made her way up to his bedroom with a basket full of muffins.

"If you don't like banana nut there are chocolate chip ones too.....unless you hate those as well?" he said.

Ginny couldn't help but crack the tiniest of smiles as she heard him reenact her first intrusion into his bedroom word for word.

She felt him take a seat on her bed. "Your mum said I could come up here, you can ask her yourself if you don't believe me," he said, quoting her.

She didn't say anything.

"Ginny?" he called softly.

Hearing her name leave his mouth brought back everything she remembered over the past few weeks with him.

Draco was surprised when he saw her turn over and sit up to face him; the light from the wall lighting up her pale tear-stained face. Her eyes were red and puffy, she was thinner and all the life that he remembered filling her features was completely gone. She just stared at him for a few moments before looking down at her fidgeting hands.

When he saw the state she was in, he thought he would completely break-down right there in front of her, but he refrained from doing so for her sake.

She just started to shake her head as her memories begged for her to feel them and cope with them. "I can still feel her.....inside of me," she whispered.

Draco felt like his heart had been ripped out and stomped on at her words.

"Sometimes I lie here and I swear I can feel her little feet kick me," she choked out, her eyes catching his gaze for a moment before she closed them to let the fresh tears spill.

Draco had no idea what to say....there was nothing to say.

She locked eyes with him again, "Why?" she asked him.

He just shook his head.

"I didn't do anything wrong.....so why? " She cried. "I didn't do anything," she cried out again, this time her emotions completely slipping.

"I know...I know, Ginny, you didn't do anything to deserve this," he said, his own eyes welling with tears.

She suddenly flung herself forward into his arms and latched onto him tightly and cried. Her body shook in his arms uncontrollably as she sobbed out loud for everything she had held in these past five years. She cried for her baby, for herself, for Fred.....everything; she held onto Draco so tight that her nails dug into him. He didn't care, he lost it too as she let go of everything right there in his lap, he couldn't possibly hold his emotions in any longer at that point.

They both cried for a while and then soon she just let Draco hold her in his arms. They both sat on her bed against her wall with her head on his shoulder just lost in thought.

"What now?" Ginny choked out, her voice hoarse from how much she cried.

He looked down at the top of her head, "I'm not sure,"

She looked up at him, "And us? What about us?"

He was surprised that she was asking about their relationship, he couldn't help but smile a bit when she used the term "us" and recognized the fact that there was indeed a relationship between them.

He just looked at her, "Uh, listen Ginny......I care a lot about you, but I think you and I both know.....that you need to figure things out with Harry first before we can ever be.......an "us"," he said, his expression saddened to have to even admit that out loud.

He wanted nothing more than to kiss her and happily take her for himself, but he could never do that to her or Harry, not after what Harry did for him and what they both lost. He owed that much to both of them to try and repair their relationship after it was forcefully ripped apart by something so tragic.

Ginny just gave him a small smile and nodded before she leaned forward in an attempt to kiss him, but he stopped her.

He just shook his head, "I...I can't, not right now.....because if I start......I won't be able to stop....you understand?" he asked her as he felt his eyes start to sting.

She just spilled a few tears before she gave an emotional nod.

He gave her kiss on her forehead before he slipped off of her bed and quickly left her bedroom, leaving her to fall into a fit of sobs.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harry was sitting on his bed late one night going over some files he had brought home with him. He was finding it hard to focus at all these days with Ginny being in the state she was so he started bringing his work home with him, not that it was any different. He heard a knock on the door and gave a light sigh.

"Come in," he mumbled, as he threw the file aside him on the bed. He was quite surprised to see it was Ginny at his door and she was actually showered and in different clothes.

"Are you ok?" he asked, as he jumped up off the bed.

She nodded, "Can we talk?" she asked as she looked at him, her eyes were still puffy and red.

"Of course," he said softly, gesturing for her to take a seat on the bed beside him.

She eyed the files on the bed for a moment before she took a seat and Harry took notice of it.

"I was just looking over some stuff on Draco's case," he mumbled, as he scooped them all up into a pile and put them on the side table.

"Well, I suppose it's perfectly safe now for you to continue to work on it since we've already lost everything," she said sarcastically.

Her comment was brutal to hear and he just nodded, "Yeah......I guess I deserve that," he said as the guilt kept ripping through him further and further.

She just looked at him and shook her head. She suddenly realized how hard this must have been for him, yes, she had lost her baby, but she had no memory of it all this time. Harry was the one who had to not only cope with the loss of their daughter but the loss of his entire relationship with her. If that wasn't enough, he was dealing with the immense amount of guilt he felt over it and how he made Ginny hate him all these years........and it was all for her happiness. Her heart just completely crumbled for him right now....and here she was, still making him feel guilty for it all.

"Ginny, I know-"

"Thank you," she said suddenly.

"What?" he asked, looking at her confused.

"Thank you for protecting me,"

"That's the last thing I have done for you," he said, barely able to speak the words as he became upset.

"It's true....you protected me from the truth, from this life that I'm miserable in now......you knew this is how I would react, how I would cope..if you can even call this coping. I can't even begin to imagine what you had to go through, Harry, and it was all for me." she cried. "I don't think I've EVER felt so much love from one person before."

"Stop it, stop making me out to be something I'm not......you begged me to stop.....and I kept working on it anyway... I just never thought it would go that far. I put you and Lily-"

She looked at him with wide eyes at the mention of their daughter's name; she hadn't heard it said out loud, she only remembered it from her memories.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, realizing his mistake.

She just looked back at the floor and then took in a few bags that were packed up in the corner, "What's all that?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm going to go stay somewhere for a little bit......I know you need some space so..." he trailed off.

She just stared at him, yet again here he was putting her needs first like he always did, she was really quite amazed by his love for her.....it was almost overwhelming. She scooted closer to him and grabbed his face to look at her, she could tell he was trying to stay strong for her sake.

Harry looked into her eyes, they were filled with so many mixed emotions, but he could tell she suddenly felt guilty herself for not knowing everything he went through for her. He didn't think she had anything to feel guilty for, but he knew how Ginny was and he could tell that she was about to do something that was going to make everything so much more confusing.

She leaned in closer to him until her face was only a couple of inches from his and he watched her eyes travel down to his lips and then back up at him. He lightly shook his head for her not to go through with it, but her lips were already on his. He wanted to push her away so badly, but he forgot how much he missed her.

She grabbed his face with one hand and slid it to the back of his neck and pulled him closer to her as she deepened the kiss. She pushed him back on the bed and crawled on top of him before she crashed her lips down on his once more. She knew she had still loved Harry all of these years and she always felt a special kind of bond with him even though they weren't together. He was the one that was always there for her when she needed someone to protect her. All because of that one night he was not able to get to her in time didn't mean he should have to pay for it forever.

She slipped her top off as she straddled him and ripped his button-down shirt open before she laid her bare chest against his. She felt his hands travel her body and it was a very warm and familiar touch that sent goosebumps throughout her body. She suddenly reached down to his pants and Harry grabbed her hands before she could go any further.

"Ginny-"

She cut him off with a long soft kiss and then he pushed her gently back again.

"What's wrong?" she asked through her heavy breaths.

He just stared up at her, she was amazingly beautiful right now and his heart was breaking because he knew......he knew her heart didn't truly belong to him, even if Ginny hadn't realized that yet.

"We can't do this," he said, gently sliding her off of him so that she was lying beside him.

"Why not?"

"Because I know this isn't what you really want," he said, looking at her.

"How do you know what I want? I want this......right now, right here......I want you to make love to me, Harry...I want to feel that love that I missed out on all this time." she said, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

"I have loved you all this time."

"Yes, but I wasn't able to appreciate that love because I had no clue on what we were missing out on.....what I was missing out on," she said as she gently kissed him again.

He pulled away from her and sat up and she sat up next to him and tried to kiss him once more when he grabbed her face firmly in his hands and looked at her. "I want nothing more than to do this with you.....but we both know that this particular thing needs to be put on hold for now. Everything needs to be put on hold until you're able to get a little stronger from all of this, mentally, emotionally.....and physically."

She was crying at the words he spoke to her, he could feel her tears wet his fingers that held her face in his hands. He pulled her closer to him for one final soft kiss and then placed one more on her forehead. He knew she was confused by everything, he knew she didn't know how to feel about all of it yet and he didn't want to take advantage of her, no matter how much he missed her.

He watched her slip her shirt back on as she continued to spill tears over their whole encounter and she went to leave when he stopped her.

"Hey, Gin?"

She turned to look at him and he grabbed one of the files on his nightstand.

"Do you want to see a picture of her?"

She just stared at him and she let out an emotional sigh as she walked back over and sat on the bed. She looked at the file on his lap and she saw it was hers and watched him pull out a few pictures.

"This was your very first sonogram picture," he said, handing it to her.

She squinted her eyes a bit, "I can't even tell what I'm looking at," she said with a small laugh.

"You said that same thing to the MediWizard the day she took it too," he said with a chuckle.

She just smiled at him.

"And this was the last one you had," he said, handing her another picture.

"Wow," she whispered out as she stared at the picture.

He pulled out another picture in his hand and gave it a sad look before he handed it to Ginny. She just stared at it for what seemed like forever; it was a picture of her holding Lily after she gave birth to her. She placed her hand over her mouth to quiet the emotional gasp that she let out and broke down into tears in Harry's arms.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day Ginny decided to try going to work again. After her countless breakdowns yesterday, she wanted to make an attempt to try and get back to some sort of normal life. She gave a knock on Harry's office door and peeked her head in.

"Hey, can I come in?" she asked.

"Ginny? Yeah, of course, come in," he said quickly, surprised to see here there.

She gave him a small smile and took a seat across from him. "I think.....I want to try to come back to work today," she said, a bit of uncertainty in her voice.

"Absolutely, if you're sure, although, I'm kind of caught up right now with paperwork; with everything going on I've kind of went crazy," he said with a shrug. "You can see if Will needs help," he suggested with an apologetic look.

"Oh, he needs help alright.....in the fuckin head," she mumbled as she dragged her feet back to the hallway.

"Oh, Ginny, maybe we can grab lunch later?" he asked.

She just looked at him and gave him a nod with a small smile before heading over to Will's office. She knocked and then walked in and there he was already anticipating her entrance with a stupid smug smile on his face.

"You know.....normally you would be fired by now," he said with a smirk.

She just stared at him for a moment before taking a seat across from him, "Uh, listen, Will.......I'm really sorry about the other day-"

"Don't be," he simply said. "A beautiful woman throwing herself at me......I mean, what's to be sorry about? Actually, I should be apologizing.......I shouldn't have taken advantage of you in your current state," he said, looking at her. "So, I am sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable," he said in a genuine tone.

She just gave him a small smile, "It's fine, I just want to try and get back to some normal life again."

"Well, you came to the right place.....look at all this paperwork you get to do," he sarcastically said in an overly excited tone.

"Yippee," she sarcastically drawled, before she leaned forward and started going through some files.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and someone popped their head in, Ginny just recognized him as another Auror that worked there.

"Oh good, Miss Weasley is here too, Kingsley would like to see you guys in his office," he said before leaving the room.

Ginny just exchanged a confused look with Will before they both walked into the Hall and saw Harry leaving his office.

"Harry, do you know why Kingsley wants us in his office?" Ginny asked.

"Not sure, but he wants me there too," he shrugged.

Ginny had a few ideas of what it could be about, but none of them were good reasons to be summoned to the Minister of Magic's office. As they approached the office, she was surprised to see her parents there and Draco and his parents as well.

"Do you know what this is about?" Harry asked them.

"No, clue dear, he sent a letter this morning for us to be here," Molly said.

They all took a seat around the room and Ginny's eyes locked with Draco's across the way. Her mind went straight to her conversation with him the other day and then it went to her intimate moment with Harry. She couldn't even begin to try and sort through her feelings for Draco and Harry right now until she started healing from the loss of her daughter.

Draco gave her a small smirk that made her return a small smile and it quickly faded when she saw Kingsley walk into his office.

"Alright everyone, let's get right down to it......the Malfoy/Weasley case," he said.

Everyone in the room seemed to suddenly tense up.

"Ah, I see you all look guilty, which is just what I expected, but there is one person that I am extremely disappointed in because I gave specific instructions for him to CLOSE THIS CASE!" he said angrily, looking at Harry.

Harry had a feeling this was coming, as soon as he saw the Malfoys show up, he knew Kingsley somehow got wind of what was happening.

"You four have been working on this case, right?" he asked, looking at Harry, Ginny, Draco and Will. "And do not lie to me because I already know that you have."

They all nodded.

"Mr. Potter, have I not been clear on the reasons for leaving this case closed? Have you all not suffered enough from trying to solve something that you have absolutely no leads on?"

Ginny felt her stomach knot up as she thought back to the day she got her memories back.

"Going forward I want all of the files kept in my office that are in relation to this case, I want any files that you have copies of back here by the end of the day."

"So....you're ok with just having a bunch of murderers on the loose? Just murdering whoever they want and destroying people's lives?" Ginny snapped.

"Ginny!" Arthur said, glaring at her to keep her mouth shut.

"Miss Weasley, I am not saying that...... what I'm saying is that at this time there are no leads to go on and it's becoming more dangerous than anything to anyone involved. The case needs to be better organized and not just blindly going to potential suspects' homes without any evidence to back it up," he explained.

"But that won't ever happen, it's just going to be swept under the rug and covered up just like it has been all these years," she said angrily, not caring if she was arguing with the Minister of Magic.

Ginny felt Harry's hand on her arm and pulled her back a bit not realizing she was practically out of her seat at this point.

"Sir, perhaps you can make an exception this once to allow Mr. Potter and me to continue on this case?" Will chimed in.

"Absolutely not, you all have been lying and not to mention that you two....," he said, pointing to Ginny and Draco, ".....Have been tampering with evidence AND have had access to files that you legally have no business looking at."

"Ginny works at the Ministry, of course, she has access to files," Draco said.

"Not anymore, she doesn't," he firmly said.

"What?" Ginny asked, her anger rising.

"Your position here at the Ministry is immediately terminated, you will no longer be working here."

"Sir, please reconsider-"

"I WILL NOT, MR. POTTER,!" Kingsley yelled before turning back to Draco and Ginny, "YOU TWO WILL KEEP YOUR NOSE OUT OF ANY MINISTRY FILES AND HAVE NO ASSOCIATION WITH THIS CASE GOING FURTHER UNLESS WE REQUIRE FURTHER INFORMATION FROM EITHER OF YOU!"

"But-"

"ENOUGH, MISS WEASLEY," he gave her a superior look, "You both realize you could be sent to Azkaban over this? DO NOT.......force me to do something I really don't want to do." he said in a final tone.

Ginny just jumped out of her seat and went to leave, but she was so enraged by Kingsleys words that she stopped, turned and walked right up to him. "You know why it's so easy for you to forget about this case? Because nobody is going around killing anyone you love....... You didn't watch your wife be slaughtered right before your eyes or your best friend, you weren't FUCKIN REPEATEDLY GUTTED AS YOU FELT YOUR CHILD CLINGING TO LIFE INSIDE OF YOU!" she screamed at him as tears fell down her cheeks. She felt more than one person trying to hold her back, afraid she might actually hit Kingsley with how angry and upset she was, but she didn't stop or back down.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHETHER SOMEONE YOU LOVE IS GOING TO BE KILLED NEXT OR THAT YOU HAVE TO LIVE LIKE SOME PRISONER UNDER A FUCKIN DOME BECAUSE YOU MIGHT BE ATTACKED OR CHOKED TO DEATH, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO HOLD YOUR DEAD BABY IN YOUR ARMS! YOU INCONSIDERATE PIECE OF SHIT!" she screamed in rage, her face red with anger and her eyes pouring tears.

"GINNY!" Draco yelled out to her as he appeared in front of her suddenly as he managed to squeeze himself in between her and Kinglsey.

She turned to see Harry's hand on one side of her shoulder and her Father's on the other as they tried to hold her back. Her shirt has actually ripped from how hard she fought against them.

Draco agreed with every single word Ginny spoke, Kingsley didn't know what it was like to live the lives they had, he didn't have to deal with any of it so of course, it was easy to turn his cheek on the case.

Harry just gave a Draco a light nod to take Ginny out into the hall as he finished his meeting with Kingsley. Draco had to drag her halfway to the door as her body suddenly became dead weight she seemed to suddenly stare off into space. Once he got her into the hall, he just stared at her, he quickly dried his face from any emotions that squeezed out while she was going off on Kingsley.

"Ginny?"

She looked at him and then placed a hand over her mouth as she realized how out of line she was. She backed up until she hit the wall and slid down it into a heap of tears on the floor.

He squatted down in front of her, "Hey?" he whispered.

She looked up at him and just shook head, "I'm sorry, all I do is fuckin cry now.....I'm so pathetic," she choked out, trying to wipe her face.

"Stop it, it's better to cry and let it out than hold it in......believe me," he said, wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

"I'm trying, Draco.....fuck I'm trying so hard to accept that this.......that this actually happened.....I just feel like I can't live with knowing the truth, it physically hurts to even imagine a life of any kind without her."

He got on the floor right next to her, his leg gently brushing against hers. He let out a soft sigh and turned to look at her. "A few months ago..... I was going through it real bad...I mean, it had already been like two years, but it still hurt as much as the day it happened. Anyway, I just remember walking into the bathroom and grabbing about five vials of this sleeping draught I had in there....." he trailed off and just looked down at the floor as he remembered the memory. "I just downed them all, one after another.......my mother....she found me unresponsive hours later and it was pretty bad. I woke up two weeks later and just tried to survive somehow.....eventually something just happened that made life a little more bearable," he said.

"What could have possibly happened to make something like that more bearable?" Ginny asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

He turned to look at her again and locked eyes with her, "Someone brought me muffins," he said with a smirk.

A smile spread across her face at his words and she gave a soft laugh. Every time she thought she wanted to try to work things out with Harry and then she saw Draco, it made her realize just how madly in love she was with him. It took everything in her not to kiss him right now, she wanted to feel that amazing moment again that they shared that day in his bedroom. She watched him glance at her lips and then back up to her eyes before he turned away from her again.

"Come on, let's get you back home, I'm sure Kingsley will let you slide on missing the rest of this meeting," he smirked, before taking her hand and apparating to the Burrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it is! I know, Ginny was a wreck this chapter, but cut her some slack, she's going through a lot, lol. PLEASE REVIEW! I need them like you guys need the next chapter,LOL.
> 
> P.S: I often use music to inspire my writing, I've have always done this and it just really helps me form a scene. The one song I kept listening to for those Harry/Ginny and even some Draco moments in this chapter was "Say Something" by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera...I don't know why but this one part in there just gave me the feels when both Harry and Draco talk to Ginny at the Burrow. Let me know if you would like to know what other songs inspired other parts in my story =D
> 
> Anyway, remember to review please!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, here it is, sorry this one took a while, its a longer chapter too, just how you like it. Listen, I know a lot of people were like completely pissed about Ginny's kiss with Will in the last chapter BUTTTT, lets not forget how our darling Ginny was in the beginning of the story. She's a little adrenaline junkie and was always use to getting that adrenaline rush to cover up her feelings and not having to deal with them. That's the state of mind she was in at the beginning of the last chapter and thats why she went completely bonkers and did something so careless. Give her time guys!

"Alright... here you are, now I put a lot of effort into this sandwich when I made it for you so you better like it," Draco said as he placed a tray on the coffee table in the living room.

She just gave a small smile, "Thanks, you didn't have to make me lunch, I'm fine." she said.

"I bet that's not what Kingsley is thinking right now," he smirked.

She gave him a light slap as he took a seat on the couch beside her. "How do you think the rest of the meeting went?"

"I think...that I'm glad you gave us a reason to leave," he laughed.

She just shook her head with a small smile before she looked down at her hands. He watched her expression sadden and she thought back to her outburst earlier.

"Sorry about your job," he said, nudging her leg with his knee.

She just shrugged, "It doesn't even matter honestly, I only took it to get my hands on those files."

She became very quiet, he could tell she was thinking about what Kingsley said about not working on the case anymore right now. He watched her run her fingers through her fiery hair and watched it fall around her face again. He missed kissing her face and feeling her body against his, sometimes he found himself struggling to hold himself back from pouncing on her. She went to glance at him for a moment, but he was staring at her and she couldn't pull her eyes from his. Her heart started to race and she continued to stare into his mercury eyes, goosebumps covering her entire body. She knew if he moved any closer to her, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from meeting him halfway and tasting his lips, but she saw him break eye contact with her suddenly and she remembered what he said about her and Harry.

Ginny knew she loved Draco, she wasn't sure if he knew she did, but he at least knew she liked him a great deal. She also loved Harry, and finding out how much he gave up for her was more than she would ever imagine someone doing for her. When it came to Harry's love for her, there was no question about it and every time she was around him since she got her memories back she could feel it.

She got up suddenly and Draco did the same.

"I think I should get going," he said.

She nodded, "Thank you for bringing me home," she said with a small smile.

"You're welcome," he said, looking into her amber eyes once more.

She leaned in to give him a hug and she felt him wrap his arms around her, fuck did they feel so warm and safe...she missed the feeling so much. She pulled away suddenly and made her way upstairs as she desperately tried to make sense of her feelings for Draco and Harry.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny knocked on Harry's door later that day and saw him gathering his bags that he had packed.

"Oh, you're still leaving?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah, I think I should...why?" he asked as he zipped up the last bag.

She walked over to him and gently pulled him to her and she hugged him tightly. She felt him hug her tightly back and bury his face in her hair.

"I don't want you to leave," she whispered out.

Harry wasn't sure why, but he had this lump in his throat that had formed suddenly and he swallowed it when he heard her say those words.

"I thought that's what you would want," he said softly into her hair as she just laid her head on his shoulder still in his arms.

She gently pulled away from him and locked eyes with him for a moment. "I...I think I know what I want now."

He just nodded.

Tears started to sting her eyes as she looked at him, she felt so guilty suddenly. She knew how incredibly lucky she was to have Harry in her life and loving her every step of the way. She knew he was somewhat aware of the feelings she had for Draco and still, he made sure he loved and protected her.

She took his hand in hers and brought it up to her face and placed it on her cheek where he gently rubbed his thumb against her pale skin. She felt her eyes filling with emotion as she felt his skin against hers. She felt like there was still something missing from her memories with Harry...she knew he loved her more than anything and she knew what he sacrificed for her happiness, but she still wanted to feel that physical love with him. It was something she couldn't begin to explain, but it was almost like her body was craving it so that she could move on and she felt so guilty for it.

"Ginny-"

She cut him off when she grabbed his face in her hands and slowly pulled him to her. She kissed him softly and then she let out a light sigh against his lips before she crashed her lips harder against his. This time Harry didn't hold back, he grabbed her to him and completely got lost in her, every sound she made, every kiss she placed on his body...everything.

She slipped her shirt off and then his and before she knew it, he was on top of her on his bed. Her hands traveled down to his waist where she undid his buckle and soon his bare body was against her bare body. He leaned down and trailed soft, gentle kisses down her neck and across her chest, making her give a small moan. She parted her legs and felt his hand graze one of them as he was about to enter her...and then he stopped suddenly and looked down at her.

"Are...are you sure this is what you want?" he asked through his heavy breathing.

She just stared at him, she needed to feel something raw from her relationship with him, she wanted him to make love to her. She didn't say anything, instead, she just propped herself up and kissed him passionately before pulling him down onto her again. She felt him slide into her and she released a muffled moan into Harry's mouth before he rocked a bit harder into her. She was very clear about her feelings for Draco after this afternoon and she just had to have this moment with Harry before she could move on.

She felt his release inside her right after she came and soon everything stopped. He laid beside her on the bed as she lay in his arms with her head on his chest and one of her arms draped over him. They were both quiet for a while just listening to each other breathe, when Harry felt something wet on his chest. He looked down at Ginny to see her crying and he just pulled her tighter to him.

"It's ok, Ginny," he whispered to her.

She just cried a bit harder before she finally managed to get her words out. "I'm in love with Draco."

He just looked down at her as she looked up at him with tears pouring down her face and a look of guilt covering it.

"I know," he simply said, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

She sat up and just shook her head as she tried to hold in her tears, but she felt so incredibly guilty for not choosing to be with Harry. After everything he had done for her, after everything he went through...it was unbearable for her to even look at him right now.

"I'm so sorry, Harry...I love you so much and you have done-"

"Stop that, it's ok, Ginny," he said as his voice cracked with emotion. "You don't have to apologize for anything ok?"

She couldn't even look at him, she just became hysterical as the guilty feeling just ate away at her. She couldn't even begin to imagine the guilt Harry had been carrying around all these years.

"Look at me, Ginny," he said, gently grabbing her face to look at him. "I knew that you were in love with Draco and I know that he feels the same way about you. You don't have to apologize...for ANYTHING. I think you need Draco and honestly...he needs you too, that's how it should be." he said as a few tears of his own fell.

She just kept shaking her head, its like she couldn't accept the fact that her heart belonged to Draco. She couldn't believe she was not choosing the father of her child, the man who selflessly gave up everything for her happiness. He pulled her down again on the bed and let her just cry against him as she realized she was saying goodbye to her relationship with Harry.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny woke up the next morning rather early after having trouble sleeping all night. She walked into the kitchen and saw Harry was up also and her mind went back to their intimate moment yesterday.

"Oh, hey," she said in a small voice.

"Hey... tea?" he asked, taking the tea kettle off the stove.

She nodded and then took a seat at the table.

She watched him pour the water into her cup and then he took a seat across from her. They both sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity until she spoke up.

"Are you going to work early today?"

"Yeah," he said with a shrug, "I'm going to miss having you around," he smirked.

"Eh, it's fine, I'll just come bother you for those lunch dates again like old times," she said waving her hand.

"I'm sure Chamberlain is heartbroken over this whole thing, especially because you won't be around to make out with him." he teased her, causing her to kick his leg from under the table.

"Shut up," she said with a small chuckle before they both fell silent again.

"Gin, listen...let's not have things be awkward now between us...ok?" he said, reaching across the table and giving her hand a light squeeze.

"It won't be, I don't regret anything...but... can I ask you something?" she asked, unsure if she should even bring this particular thing up at the moment.

"Of course, anything"

She looked down at her cup of tea, "You said you know that Draco feels the same way about me, but...how do you know? I mean... did he say something to you?"

He let her hand go and sat back in his chair and remained silent.

"Fuck, Harry, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked you something like that, I'm so stupid-"

"Relax, Gin, remember...we're not making things awkward between us," he said with a small laugh. "It's just obvious, you can see it in the way he looks at you and even when you guys are in the same room and you always find a way to eye fuck each other...it's quite annoying actually."

Ginny covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

"Does he know how you feel?" Harry asked her.

She just looked at him. "I'm not sure, I mean, I know he is very much aware that I fancy him, but I don't think he knows the "love" part." she sighed. "He said he "cared" a great deal for me the other day, but...what does that mean? Should I automatically assume love? I mean I don't want to tell him how I really feel and then he doesn't feel the same way...that would just be embarrassing. Then what if I do tell him and he just feels obligated to say it back because-"

"Ginny, calm down," he cut her off with a laugh. "You are overthinking it, I think you need to start by going to talk to him."

She ran her hand through her hair and gave a long sigh. "Anyway, how did the rest of that meeting go by the way?"

He just smirked, "You mean the one you became the star of?" he teased.

"I'm sorry, but you know I'm right...you're going to keep working on it though right?"

He didn't answer.

"Harry? You're going to keep working on it right?" she said a little louder.

"I don't think I can, Ginny-"

"HARRY, YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE UP BECAUSE OF KINGSLEY!" she yelled.

"Ginny, this is my career I'm jeopardizing, I can't just go against what my boss told me, I'm lucky I even have my job still and we're both lucky Kingsley didn't let this affect your dad's promotion," he said firmly.

She just folded her arms in annoyance. "So, now what? We just continue to live life like this, until we eventually run out of luck?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't eventually work on it again, but right now...there's just no way I can do this under Kingsley's nose. He will be watching me closely these next few weeks and I can't chance it," he explained.

Ginny calmed herself before she went bonkers on him. She knew he would definitely be working on that case if he could, he had given up so much already and risked a lot by doing it this time around.

She just gave a small nod at his explanation, but she knew she would not be able to put the case on the back burner...she would work on it alone if she had to.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny knocked on the double doors before her and waited for someone to answer. It had been a while since she had been at the Manor and felt a bit awkward just walking in. She saw Narcissa answer the door and she swore there was a tiny smile that crossed her face.

"Ginny, it's nice to see you're feeling better," she said, opening the door to let her in.

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy, uh... do you think Draco would mind if I went up to talk to him?" she asked nervously.

"Not at all," she said with a small smile.

Ginny just nodded and started making her way upstairs when she stopped suddenly and walked back over to Narcissa.

"Mrs. Malfoy...do you think that you can teach me some of your charm work? It's just... with everything going on and what I found out...I just want to be able to better defend myself and-"

"Yes"

"What?" Ginny asked, not sure if she heard her correctly.

"Yes, I will happily teach you how to better defend yourself, Ginny," she said with a serious look on her face.

Narcissa wasn't thrilled about Ginny in the beginning, but seeing how happy she made her son made her care for Ginny a lot more than she thought. After seeing the horrid memories that day, she would gladly help Ginny protect herself.

"Oh, ok thanks," Ginny said, surprised Narcissa agreed so quickly on it.

"Tomorrow afternoon?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes, that sounds great."

"Good, now go on," she nodded towards the stairs.

Ginny gave her a small smile and then made her way up to Draco's bedroom and gave a quick knock. She couldn't believe how nervous she felt all of a sudden, she couldn't believe that she actually told Harry she wanted to be with Draco and not him. She felt some of her guilt coming back and her mind was racing suddenly. She thought for a moment about turning around and leaving until she was absolutely sure this is what she wanted.

"Ginny?"

She was pulled from her thoughts when she realized Draco was standing in the doorway and had been calling her name.

"Oh, sorry, um can I come in?" she asked.

He moved out of the way so she could walk inside and he closed the door behind him. "So what's up?" he asked, taking a seat on the couch next to her.

"Nothing, can't we just hang out for a bit?" she snapped.

He looked at her funny, "What's going on? Since when do we just hang out? We are normally working on the case or you're telling me your troubles or some other shit," he said in amusement.

"We do to hang out," she snarled angrily.

"Alright, calm down, so what do you want to do...buddy?" he mocked her.

She got up and walked over to the bathroom and grabbed something out of the medicine cabinet and walked back over to him. "I want you to drink this," she said, her tone serious.

Draco just laughed as he looked at the Veritaserum in her hand, "Yeah, right...that's not happening." he said, continuing to laugh.

"You owe me this, now drink it." she snapped.

"I don't owe you anything, you're the one who drank that potion without reading the label."

"Yes, but you took advantage of me under the influence and by the way, let's not forget that I stole YOUR file to try and help you and I'm the one who got fired for it," she said, her anger rising.

"So, let me get this straight, you came over here just so you can have me drink Veritaserum? So you DON'T want to hang out?"

"This right here...is what I want," she said, holding the vial out for him to take.

"I'm not drinking that,"

"Yes, you are," she said.

"No, I most definitely am not," he shot back.

She became angry and they both just sat there in silence for a minute before Ginny jumped on top of him and tried to force him to drink it.

"YOU ARE DRINKING THIS DAMN POTION, DRACO MALFOY!" she yelled as she tried to move his hands away from his face so she could attempt to pour it into his mouth.

"GINNY, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" He shouted as she forcefully pinned him down. "Shit, you're fuckin stronger than I thought."

"OPEN YOUR MOUTH!"

"NO"

"OPEN IT!" she yelled before he suddenly flipped her off of him and she fell off the couch and onto the floor with a hard thud.

"Oh, shit are you ok?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

She just lay there on her back and stared up at him on the couch, his blond hair hanging around his face as he looked down at her. She saw his eyes glance down to her stomach where her shirt rode up and revealed her scars. She quickly pulled her shirt down and sat up as she cleared her throat.

They were both silent for a moment.

"Are you ok?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I didn't fall that hard," she quickly shrugged it off.

"No, I mean..." he trailed off.

He knew Ginny saw him look at her scars and his breath caught in his throat when he saw them. He just wanted to grab her and hold her forever, but she was bothered by the fact that he saw them and he wished she wouldn't be.

"Sorry I tried to force you to drink Veritaserum," she said, handing him the vial.

He just stared at her as she pulled herself back up onto the couch. Ginny was right, she risked a lot to help him get his file and in doing so, she uncovered the most horrific memories and got fired. He felt guilty for everything that went down and didn't know any other way to try and make it up to her.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," he said before he opened the vial and downed the potion.

"Oh my gosh, you actually drank it," Ginny said; a bit shocked that he actually took it.

"Well, yeah, you wanted me to, didn't you? You're right, I owe you," he said.

She just shook her head, she couldn't believe he actually drank it willingly, him...Draco Malfoy.

"I have no idea what to ask you...there's so much I don't know," she said, getting excited at the endless possibilities.

"I don't know, you might not want to hang out anymore after this." he joked.

"I doubt that," she laughed."I can't believe I'm about to ask Draco Malfoy anything I want and I'll get the truth" she said getting giddy over which questions to ask. "Hmm, what should I ask."

"Well, if you take too long the effects will wear off and you'll be shit out of luck because I'm not drinking another." he snapped.

"Alright, alright...let's see...ok, how many women have you slept with?"

"Geez, going straight for the personal questions I see."

"You're damn straight I am, now answer it." she ordered.

He just shook his head. "Three"

"Hmm, three? I know the obvious two, but who's the third?"

"I don't remember her name, some Ravenclaw back in school, next"

"Ok, ok, uhhhh, have you ever killed anyone?" she asked.

He just looked at her.

"Sorry, I know these are stupid questions, but-"

"Yes"

She just looked at him, "Y-You've killed someone?" she asked, obviously shocked by his answer.

He looked away from her.

"Who was it?"

"I don't know, it was some guy...well, practically a kid...he was barely out of his teens," he said, his voice filled with remorse.

"What happened?"

"It was an accident, he was caught in some crossfire during one of my outings with Blaise. I don't even know if he was trying to attack us or not or even with these people Blaise and I were hunting down. All I know is he came out of nowhere and got in the way of one of my curses."

"Well, it sounds like self-defense...it was an accident," she said, gently placing a hand on his leg. She cleared her throat and then quickly thought of something else to ask. "Um..." she trailed off and then looked at him. "That night on the Astronomy Tower...Harry said he was "pretty sure" you were about to lower your wand, but would you have killed Dumbledore?"

"Shit, Ginny, these questions are brutal," he snapped.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"No...no, I wouldn't have," he said, locking eyes with hers.

She just gave him a small smile.

She was so mesmerized by Draco right now, even though she was asking him such horrid questions about his past and not all of the answers were ideal...there was just something about knowing the truth that sucked her in. She wanted to just tell Draco that she loved him already and wanted to see if he loved her back, but she was scared to know the truth and also felt guilty to make him confess that to her under the influence of Veritaserum. Yeah, sure he made her confess some personal feelings when it accidentally happened to her, but being on the other end of the questions was different.

"Are we done now?" he asked.

She didn't say anything, she just looked at him, at his eyes...his lips...everything.

"What is your biggest fear?"

He scoffed at the question and then he looked away from her...she could tell this was something he didn't want to answer and she felt guilty for asking it. She watched him run his hand through his hair and shifted uncomfortably while avoiding all eye contact with her completely.

"My biggest fear...is that... I love you," he said, obviously trying to fight the truth.

Ginny swore her heart completely stopped at his words. Draco Malfoy loved her and she loved him too, and she was about to tell him that, but the fact that loving her was his biggest fear made her stop herself.

"Why is that your biggest fear?" She asked.

"I'm... afraid I'm going to lose you the same way I lost Astoria...I also...I don't want to forget her and the love that we had because I love you...sometimes it makes me angry that I love you so fuckin much because I don't want you to take her place in my heart." he finally choked out.

Ginny felt like her heart was just torn into a million pieces, she didn't want him to hate loving her. Then to hear the same fears she had about loving him were also what he was afraid of, made her want to collapse into a fit of sobs. She saw him get up and walk across the room, she could tell he was angry that he had to answer that question.

"I should go," she suddenly said, getting up and quickly headed to the door.

"Ginny, wait," he said, grabbing her arm to stop her. "Listen, what I said-"

"It doesn't matter because I don't feel the same way."

He just looked at her.

"I actually wanted to come here and just let you know that... I think I am going to try and work things out with Harry." she lied as her eyes filled with tears.

She could tell he wasn't sure what to say to that as he stared blankly at her.

"That's...that's good," he managed to say.

"I have to go," she quickly said, leaving the room.

Draco just stared at the spot where she was standing as he thought back to the entire conversation they just had. Was she really going to work things out with Harry? It did seem like the right thing to do and they both certainly deserved a chance to mend their relationship. He felt completely numb right now at the realization that he just lost Ginny Weasley...the woman he loved.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Ginny? Are you ok?...GINNY!"

She jumped at the sound of her mothers raised voice. "Oh, sorry, yeah I'm fine," she lied as she pushed her plate of dinner away from her.

Harry leaned in closer to her from his chair beside her. "You sure you're ok? Do you need to talk?" he asked her, his face full of concern.

She just looked at him for a moment and sighed, "Not really, but...I don't feel like talking about it right now."

He just nodded that he understood and rubbed her arm gently before going back to his plate of food.

There was a knock at the door suddenly and Molly went to answer it.

"Good evening, Molly, can I come in for just a moment?" Kingsley asked.

"Of course," she said, opening the back door all the way for him to come inside.

Arthur and Harry stood up at the sight of the Minister of Magic. "Kingsley, what brings you here this evening?" Arthur asked.

"Actually, I'm here to speak with Miss Weasley," he said, looking at Ginny.

Ginny exchanged a quick look with Harry before she stood up. "Yes, Sir?"

"Please, a private word," he said, gesturing towards the living room.

She led him into the next room and they both took a seat on the couch; Ginny felt completely awkward sitting there next to him. She had no idea what he wanted to talk to her about unless it had to do with her freak out the other day.

"Miss Weasley, I just wanted to come by this evening to apologize for how the meeting went the other day."

"You're apologizing to me?" she asked, surprised by his words.

"Yes, I know I may have come off insensitive to you and Mr. Malfoy's situation and I'm sorry."

She nodded. "So, does this mean you will let Harry and Will still work on the case?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Weasley and that will NOT change."

"So, I just need to accept the fact that whoever killed my child...my baby... is a free man?"

He stood up from the couch and just looked down at her with a guilty look, "I'm very sorry for your loss Miss Weasley and I'm sorry I can't do more right now."

She just watched him walk out of the living room before she got up and stormed upstairs to her bedroom. She was pissed at Kingsley for forgetting about the case altogether, it wasn't right and she couldn't accept it...she wouldn't. She walked down the hall to Harry's bedroom and quietly slipped inside while he was still downstairs. She went over to the pile of files that he had lying around and hoped that he didn't hand in all the copies to Kingsley.

She rummaged through them as quickly as she could and couldn't find anything. She looked in the side table drawer, under the bed, even under the mattress and she still found nothing. She plopped down on his bed in frustration and felt something stiff in his pillowcase. She quickly grabbed two files out of it and saw one was hers and the other was Draco's, but she only needed her file since Draco still had his copy. She didn't care if he would notice it was gone, she just needed enough time to get Narcissa to make a copy of it like she did with Draco's. She quickly slipped back out of his room and ran to her bedroom to hide the file. If nobody wanted to work on her case, then she was going to do it herself and nobody was going to stop her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny waited outside of the doors of Malfoy Manor and was greeted by Tilly, who let her inside. She was waiting for Narcissa to show her some defensive spells and charms, but instead of Narcissa meeting her in the foyer it was Lucius.

"Miss Weasley, Narcissa will be back shortly; she is still visiting with Mrs. Zabini," he drawled. "Draco is upstairs if you want-"

"That's ok, I'll just wait down here," she said, cutting him off.

He just gave her an odd look, "Very well."

He started walking away when Ginny spoke up again. "Or...maybe you would be willing to show me a few things while I wait for Mrs. Malfoy to get back?" she suggested.

Lucius was taken aback by her suggestion, "I don't think your parents would approve of that." he said, his tone firm.

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing I don't need their permission," she said, glaring at him.

"I think you should just wait for Narcissa," he said, walking away.

"Why won't you show me a few things? I just want to learn how to defend myself better and a few advanced attacking spells." she went on as she followed him down the hall.

He continued to ignore her, but she just kept following him.

"You know, I didn't want to have to play this card, but you're leaving me no choice," she said angrily.

"And what card might that be?" he asked.

"A little card I like to call the Chamber of Secrets...Tom Riddle's diary?" she said.

He just glared at her with a sneer on his face.

"Yeah...you remember that, don't you?" She asked with a smug look on her face. "I think you can show me a few things, you know, since you-"

"OK! FINE! JUST SHUT UP!" he hissed.

"Wonderful, lead the way," she said, gesturing for him to go ahead of her.

He gave her one last glare before he started leading her down towards the dungeons. They walked for a while until Ginny finally started seeing parts of the Manor she hadn't been to before. She saw him stop in front of these two large double doors and hesitated for a moment before he went to open them.

Just as she was going to ask what was wrong, he pushed both doors opened and led the way inside. As soon as Ginny made her way inside she could tell right it was a training room, she figured it had been used during Voldemort's time. She looked around a bit and saw a few wooden dummies for target practice and then there were even a few knives and other weapons hanging on one of the walls. She noticed how massive the room was as she made her way to the center of it and the lights turned on.

"Whoa, this is kind of creepy, but it's also pretty awesome," she said, taking in the arena.

He gave a small smirk at her comment. "Well, I suppose let's jump right into it then. That Protego charm you put up that night in your memories...it was weak, pretty pathetic actually."

Ginny felt incredibly guilty suddenly for not being able to protect herself or her baby enough that night. Lucius seemed to pick up on how his words affected her and gave an impatient sigh.

"Sorry to be blunt, but if you want to learn, then you need to know the truth. You protected yourself the best way you knew how that night, so stop blaming yourself. It's time to get angry and less emotional, you need to keep a level head if you want any kind of magic you perform to be perfect. Certain spells and charms require more emotion to it, but if you want to learn more dark magic...well, that's going to require a bit of anger, Miss Weasley." he explained.

She just gave him a blank stare, she hadn't asked for him to teach her dark magic, but now that he was offering she was finding it hard to turn down. She couldn't convince Kingsley to reopen the case and if she ever told Harry that she wanted to do it behind Kingsley's back, he wouldn't allow her to have any part of it. Then there was Draco, she really wasn't sure where his head was at with the case being closed, but she knew after their conversation yesterday she had to keep her distance.

"Ok, so show me how to put up a better Protego charm," she said, pulling her wand out.

"The problem with your Protego charm is mostly in your wand movement, in fact, a lot of spells and curses can be ten times more powerful just by correcting your wand movement. Go ahead and put up your Protego charm," he ordered.

She quickly put one up and watched him pull out his wand; she'd be lying if she said she wasn't intimidated by the fact that Lucius Malfoy had his wand drawn on her.

He quickly shot out a Confringo curse and even with her shielding charm up, she stumbled backward a bit, making her Protego charm fall apart.

"That must have been pretty powerful to knock me back like that," she said, finding her balance once more.

"Actually, I held back a bit, but you are casting your Protego charm counter-clockwise, which is the issue, now do it clockwise...the right way." he drawled.

She shot him a quick glare and then fixed her grip on her wand before she attempted the Protego charm again. As soon as she cast this one, she could tell it was more powerful and better put together.

"I won't be holding back on this one," Lucius warned, as he threw out the same curse.

Ginny felt it hit her Protego charm and instead of it making her stumble or make her lose the formation of her charm, she just felt her hair whip wildly around her face as the curse was absorbed as it attempted to break through. She instinctively pushed her shield outward and saw it hit Lucius and send him flying backward.

"Oops, I'm so sorry, are you ok?" she asked running over to him.

He quickly got up with a sneer on his face and quickly composed himself. "Well, as much as I'd like to curse you into oblivion right now...that was pretty perfect."

She smiled widely at his positive feedback.

"Narcissa can show you how to have your Protego charm absorb all the spells being thrown at it and then shoot them back out towards your enemies whenever you do push your shield outward. She's the one you want for all your charm work, I, on the other hand, can show you how to attack your enemies with much more...force, resulting in a more permanent defeat," he explained, a slightly evil grin forming across his face.

"You mean like...to kill?"

"Not exactly...I mean I wouldn't expect you to be able to kill any-"

"Show me," she said, her tone serious as she thought back to what these bastards took from her. What they took from Draco and how they destroyed her life with Harry.

She never thought she could be so angry at someone to want them dead, now she understood why Draco wanted these people dead and she tried to tell him otherwise. Had she known what her past really consisted of, she would be right there with Draco seeking revenge.

"Not so fast, let's work on something a little less dark first; this time we will use a dummy, since you seem to pick up pretty quick," he said, bringing over her new target.

She gave a small smirk at his attempt at a compliment.

"Now, use a Reducto spell, but keep your wand movement tight and close together. Doing this will help you direct the spell directly at a target rather than blowing up everything around it as well. You'll cause less damage and you won't draw as much attention to yourself if you do this."

She nodded and did exactly what he told her; she flicked her wand quickly but kept her wrist movement more tight rather than loose. She saw the spell shoot out of her wand and directly hit the dummy and blast it apart without putting a hole in the wall behind it or destroying anything else that was close by.

"That's pretty brilliant and it's more powerful it seems that way," she said, looking at pieces of the dummy all around the room.

"Precisely, you seem to have some decent spells up your sleeve...let's have a proper duel and see how you do under pressure." he said, making his way across the room and then turned to face her.

"Uh, are you sure?" she asked, uncertain if she was ready to take Lucius Malfoy in a duel.

"Don't worry Miss Weasley, I won't hurt you...much," he drawled with a smug look on his face. "I'll even let you throw out the first spell," he said, gesturing for her to start.

She gripped her wand tightly and let out a shaky breath. "BOMBARDA!" she yelled out, making sure she kept her hand movement tight like he told her.

She watched the spell shoot straight at him, but he had up a shield and it bounced back towards her. She quickly jumped out of the way and found herself on the floor before she scrambled back to her feet and already had another spell being shot at her. She quickly deflected it but felt her hand get hit. She quickly ignored the stinging sensation and ran towards him and cast an Oppugno jinx on the knives on the wall and made them fly at Lucius. He quickly waved his wand and they disappeared suddenly and then reappeared right behind Ginny. She saw them flying at her and she started to panic and hoped she could somehow dodge them. She tried to outrun them, but they just kept following her until she finally whipped her wand around and they all suddenly started to slow down. She felt her back against a nearby wall as the knives slowed down enough until they finally came to a complete stop with the point of the blade inches from her face.

"Well, it seems you know a lot more than you think you do," Lucius said with a slight smirk.

"LUCIUS!"

Both he and Ginny snapped their heads to the side to see Narcissa walking towards them rather angry. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING?" she yelled.

"Relax, Narcissa, she wanted me to show her a few defensive spells and-"

"It looked like a lot more than that to me." she snapped.

"It's ok Mrs. Malfoy, it was my fault, I was insistent." Ginny chimed in. "I would still like for you to show me some stuff," she said, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

"I think that's enough for one day," she said firmly, glaring at Lucius. "Why don't you head home, we can practice some more stuff tomorrow," she said, nodding for Ginny to leave.

She quickly slipped out of the room and made her way upstairs as she took notice of the cut on her hand. She was so busy trying to heal her hand as she made her way to the door that she slammed into Draco as she turned the corner.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention," she said, not realizing she grabbed his arm as she was startled.

"I didn't realize you were here," he said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. His eyes went down to her hand. "What happened?"

"Oh, uh, it's nothing, your mum was just helping me brush up on my Protego charm."

He just looked at her and then nodded.

"I guess I should get going," she said, quickly making her way to the door.

"Ginny?"

She turned to face him and before he could speak, she just shook her head. "Just... don't, " she said before she turned and left the Manor.

She wanted to turn around and jump into his arms so badly, she wanted to kiss his warm soft lips and stare into those mercury eyes. She was instantly turned on just by looking at him; just to watch his eyes travel her body was enough to make her turn around and have him screw her brains out. As much as she wanted all of that, she needed to stay focused on her new mission...to find the people responsible for all her heartache...and to kill them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, sooooo I really hope I depicted Ginny's decision to be intimate with Harry the right way. I know it might seem like "Wow, Ginny wtf are you doing?" But you have to try and understand how she must be feeling...I felt like I had to have that scene happen for Ginny to be ready to come clean about her feelings for Draco and to be ok with them. Anyway, your thoughts on this chapter? PLEASE REVIEW!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so A LOT of people were pretty upset with Ginny last chapter and I'm sorry to put you all through that. I think our dear Ginny finally gets her shit back together this time. I hope you all keep enjoying the story...still kind of lacking on reviews so pleaseee I beg you! REVIEW!

Ginny had been back to the Manor another two times so Narcissa could show her a few defensive charms. Lucius even showed her another spell or two that she knew would definitely be useful if ever she was attacked again. Both times she had decided to completely avoid Draco and so she hadn't seen him in a few days and she was starting to feel guilty for putting such a gap in their relationship.....although they technically weren't in a relationship.

She was sitting on the chair in her bedroom looking out of the window lost in deep thought. She hadn't even heard Harry walk over to her and call out to her. She finally jumped in surprise when she felt him give her shoulder a light shake.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. What are you up to?" he asked.

Ginny rubbed her eyes in frustration and then just gave a shrug. "Just.......thinking and then there's this too," she said, holding up a letter.

He took the paper and saw it was an invitation to a party at the Manor to celebrate Arthur and Lucius' new positions.

"Oh yeah, your dad was telling me about this. Apparently, Kingsley thinks it would be a great way for the Malfoys to start making their way into the public eye again. Everyone from the Ministry will be there, you're going right?"

"Of course, it's for my father too so I should definitely be there," she said.

He just watched her for a moment as she peered out the window again and he took a seat beside her.

"So, did you talk to Draco?"

She didn't look at him, "Yeah, it didn't really go as planned." she sighed.

"Why's that?"

She looked at him and then down at her hands. "I practically forced him to drink Veritaserum."

"Wait, what? Why?"

"It wasn't like that, I accidentally drank some one time looking for a pain relief potion and he started asking me all this stuff and of course I had to tell the truth. Well, I don't know why I wanted him to drink it.....I felt like he owed it to me." she shrugged.

"It sounds like a mess to me."

"It was, I mean it was fine at first, but then he said he was afraid to love me and basically said he doesn't want me to take Astoria's place. I mean, that's the one thing I was afraid of and now he feels the same way and I definitely don't want him to end up hating me BECAUSE he loves me. This doesn't even sound like it makes sense," she groaned in frustration as she held her head in her hands.

"Ginny, you can't really be upset about something someone said under the influence of Veristaserum, I mean most of those things people would never share with anyone and he was kind of forced to tell you that. Sounds extremely personal, I don't think you should really even consider that stuff he said. Think about how you would have felt if you were forced to tell him how you felt about your feelings after getting your memories back......now that was a cluster fuck." he said with a small smirk.

She just looked at him with pained eyes. "Harry, I fucked up.......I fucked up so bad, what the hell is wrong with me? Why am I like this? I feel like I forgot how to be myself," she said in defeat, as she got up from the chair and threw herself onto her bed.

"Ginny, I'm going to go ahead and tell you the same thing I did the other day......talk to Draco, just tell him how you feel. Make sure neither of you is under the influence of Veritaserum either," he teased her. "Everything is pretty much out in the open now so there's really no reason why you guys shouldn't be able to figure whatever it is you need to figure out."

She just gave another sigh and then nodded as he gave her a hug and then left her to her thoughts.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After Ginny spoke with Harry earlier, she decided to head to Malfoy Manor to just tell Draco how she felt about everything. She kept thinking about her intimate moment with Harry and started feeling guilty for ever taking things that far. She didn't want to regret it at all, it was something SHE felt she wanted to do, but when she thought about Harry and how he must have felt about it after.....she wanted to just turn back time. Harry seemed perfectly fine after their intimate moment, more than she was anyway. He even seemed somewhat relieved after everything and he even offered advice to her about Draco, which made her feel even more guilty, if that was even possible.

She felt a few raindrops hit her face as she approached the door and gave a few knocks. She stared up at the dark sky above her as rain clouds covered up the afternoon sun and felt it start to drizzle. She snapped her head back down when she heard the door open and saw it was Draco standing there.

"I figured I'd get the door this time since you're avoiding me." he drawled.

She just stood there, unsure of what to say to him, all she could feel was the rain pick up.

"Are you going to come in or......-"

"I SLEPT WITH HARRY!" she said loudly over the now pouring rain.

He just stared at her and her eyes went wide when she realized what she blurted out.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked her, his expression blank.

"I don't know, but Harry and I.......we aren't together.....I lied," she said, her heart racing as the truth came out.

"Why?"

"Because I panicked, because of what you said. I......I don't want you to be afraid to love me and I'm sorry I made you drink Veritaserum, it wasn't right. I just......I just want to go back to how things used to be. I just want to feel like myself again and I'm sorry that I keep messing it all up." she said, her voice cracking and her body shaking from her nerves of telling Draco everything.

She was completely soaked at this point and they were both silent. "I just wanted to tell you that I guess," she said before she turned and started to walk away.

"GINNY?"

She heard him call her name out and she turned around to see him right in front of her as he ran to catch up with her, not caring that he was soaked from head to toe too.

"I may not know EXACTLY what you are going through, but I know a lot about what it feels like to have something......someone you love taken from you and hurts like fuckin hell. I told you to do what you thought you had to do to try and work things out with Harry because you guys deserved it." He grabbed her face in both of his hands and looked into her eyes. "Honestly, I don't care what you did with Harry, you could sleep with him however many times you want for all I care. Do whatever it is YOU need to do to get through the grief, the anger, and anything else. It's not for anyone else to decide what the right way is to cope, only you can decide, so don't feel guilty and don't apologize. THEN, when you FINALLY figure out what it is you want.....let me know. I know it sounds crazy and I don't give a fuck because all I want in the end after everything.....is you.....just you."

Ginny swore she was going to collapse right there in his arms with how her heart melted at his words. She couldn't believe how understanding Draco was of her current situation and the ridiculous obscene choices she's been making. The fact that he was supportive of everything she decided on meant so much to her.

She didn't say anything, she couldn't, her heart was racing so fast she thought she would have a heart attack right there in front of him.

Draco just stared into her eyes, yeah, sure hearing that she slept with Harry was somewhat of a punch to the gut, but he wasn't as upset as he thought he would be. After all, it's not like they were dating or had an official relationship. He was the one who told her to work things out with Harry and after hearing that they weren't together made him realize she was just trying to find a proper way to end things with Harry. He loved Ginny so damn much and he didn't give a fuck about the stupid decisions she made while grieving. She lost so much and he couldn't even begin to think how he would handle something like that. He went through hell with just losing Astoria and then Blaise, but for Ginny, it was so much more.....her child.....her perfect....PERFECT, loving relationship with Harry and then to almost be killed herself. Not to mention she found out everything was kept from her for this long.

He could tell she was trying to get back to normal again and he was just going to make sure he was there for her whenever he needed to be. He pulled her face to his and softly kissed her forehead before he let go of her face and watched her leave the Manor.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Oh, Ginny.....wake uppppp."

Ginny rolled over away from the voice that was nagging her.

"Come on, Ginny, wake up"

Ginny felt her body being nudged repeatedly until she finally gave up and ripped the blankets off of her.

"I'M UP, I'M UP, I'M UP, NOW WHAT?" she yelled out in frustration.

She was surprised to see Hermione standing beside her bed.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?" she asked, lowering her voice after she realized it wasn't her mum or Harry trying to wake her.

"Well, I have the day off and I decided we hardly spend any time together anymore, so I thought maybe we could go shopping," Hermione said happily.

"Ugh, forget that noise," she said, turning back over and covering herself with the blankets again.

Hermione ripped the blankets back off of her. "Ok, well not shopping like that, I mean I'm not really the shopping type myself, but we can at least grab lunch and look for an outfit for this party at the Manor." She said.

Ginny turned back over and looked at her, "I guess I could eat," she said, dragging herself out of the bed and headed towards the shower.

Hermione took them to a small outside cafe and they both talked about just general things, mostly about her life as a married woman now. Ginny just listened mostly and didn't really say much, they never hung out that often so she wasn't really sure what to talk about with her.

"Are you alright, Ginny? You're very quiet.... what's on your mind?" she asked, a genuine look of concern on her face.

Ginny just shrugged, "I'm just not in the mood to talk......there isn't really anything positive to talk about these days."

She saw Hermione just look down at her coffee cup and was unsure of what to say, which made Ginny feel bad for ruining their lunch date by her depressed mood.

"I'm sorry, Hermione......It's just really hard to be happy about anything right now....I'm such a horrible person."

"What? Why would you say that?" she asked, reaching over and rubbing her hand lightly.

Ginny just looked at her and then looked away. "I slept with Harry and then immediately after I told him I was in love with Draco."

Hermione just stared at her with wide eyes."That's horrible, how could you do that to him?"

Ginny felt her heart sink, she was so busy focusing on what she needed to do to try and get through all these feelings that she didn't pay attention to how either Harry or Draco would feel about it.

She just shook her head, "I know, I fucked up.......I've been thinking so selfishly and acting so carelessly."

"YES! You can't use Harry or Draco like that, you know we all are aware of what you're going through Ginny, but you're causing more harm to people than you think. Maybe what you need to do instead of trying to decide on whether you should be with Harry or Draco......is to be with nobody right now. You shouldn't be thinking about any kind of relationship......just getting yourself into a better state of mind. You are not mentally and emotionally ready to make that kind of decision right now and that's probably why you made such a careless one when you slept with Harry."

Ginny wiped a stray tear that ran down her cheek when Hermione lectured her and she was right about everything. "You must think the worst of me right now."

Hermione grabbed her hand again. "Never, I think you are just.....a little broken right now and you are trying to piece yourself back together the best way you know how, but Harry is also my friend and I don't want either of you getting hurt, especially when you're hurting each other."

Ginny just attempted to give her a small smile. "I feel guilty, for not being with Harry and then I slept with him anyway thinking it was going to make everything fuckin better......I just made everything worse," she mumbled the last part as she became sick by hearing all the damage she's caused since she got her memories back.

"Harry will be fine....it's Harry, plus isn't he seeing someone anyway?" Hermione casually said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Ginny's eyes snapped up at her comment. "I....I don't think so, I mean, Cho mentioned something to me a few weeks ago, but he didn't really say much about it when I asked. He said it wasn't anything like that.....just a friend."

"I'm pretty sure he's seeing someone, for like a month or two now, he left our house the other night because he said he was meeting someone. From what I overheard by the conversation he was having with Ron, there is definitely more than friendship happening," she said.

Ginny wasn't sure how she felt about this information, sure she wished Harry all the happiness in the world....he certainly deserved it, but they did just sleep together not that long ago. According to Hermione's comment, it seemed he had been seeing whoever this mystery person was for a while now, ever since Cho had originally mentioned it to her.

"Any idea who it is?" Ginny asked.

Hermione just shrugged, "No clue, I tried to ask Ron, but I don't think he even knows. Harry is kind of a private person I guess." she started to watch Ginny get lost in her thoughts, "Come on, let's go get this dress thing over with," she said with a small smile.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny was making her way down to dinner that evening when she passed Harry's room and took a quick glance inside to see him looking for something. She went to keep walking when he called out to her, making her stop and walk over to his doorway.

"Hey, did you take your file from my room?" he asked, as he rummaged through a few different drawers.

"Yes," she simply said.

He stopped suddenly and looked at her. "Oh, I need it back."

She just stared at him for a moment before she turned around and walked into her bedroom and grabbed her file and then brought it to him. "Here you go," she said with a small smile.

He was surprised how easily she turned it over to him. "Did you read any of it?" he asked.

"No, not yet,"

He just nodded. "Well, you know, if you ever have any questions about anything in it-"

"Harry, I need to talk to you." she quickly said, cutting him off.

"Oh, ok, what's up?"

"Listen, I just wanted to apologize for taking advantage of you that day when we....." she cleared her throat.

"You didn't and I thought we weren't going to talk about that-"

"YES, I did and we need to talk about it because......because I should never have fucked with your emotions.... it was wrong."

"Ginny, you didn't it's fine, really.....I already knew you were in love with Draco and yeah, reliving those memories with you was hard, but unfortunately, things changed for both of us. I don't feel taken advantage of, if anything I feel.......lucky I guess that we could share one last special moment together." he said, gently grabbing her arms and looking into her eyes. He could tell she was questioning their intimate moment together and he certainly didn't want her to feel bad about it.

"I don't want to regret it, but-"

"But nothing, who cares what anyone thinks, you don't need to pity me, Ginny.....so stop it. I feel relieved that the truth is finally out and you have your memories back. I wish you weren't hurting so much and I wish things worked out differently.....but this whole time while you lived without those memories I already knew."

"Knew what?"

"That we would never be together again, so you didn't lead me on, you didn't seduce me, you didn't take advantage of me......nothing like that. I'm a grown man and I was fully aware of what was happening. I will love you forever, NOTHING will ever change that, now stop beating yourself up over this....please....it's time to move on."

He pulled her into a tight hug as she let his words sink in. She knew Harry was emotional still about their past and how things were going down between them now, but he seemed in better spirits lately which was nice to see for a change. She suddenly thought about this supposed girl he was seeing and thought if maybe this mystery woman was responsible for Harry's unexpected change in attitude.

"Harry....are you seeing someone?" she asked, as she pulled back from his hug.

"Like dating?" he said as he grabbed her file and placed it in his side table drawer.

"I guess?" she said, unsure of what she was really getting at.

"No, I'm not dating anyone, are you kidding me? I'm a bloody mess right now," he joked.

She gave him a small smirk. "Well, Hermione said you were definitely seeing someone......who might that be?" she asked, curiously.

"It's nobody, Gin," he shrugged.

She couldn't help but smirk. "Why won't you tell me? Why won't you tell anyone?"

"Dinner is ready.....we should get downstairs," he said, quickly making his way out of the room.

She continued to berate him with questions about this mysterious woman he was obviously smitten with. She could tell because he kept smiling every time she asked him something about it. If it really was true that Harry was seeing someone that made him smile like he did just by simply mentioning her possible existence, then Ginny found a lot of peace and comfort in that.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day Ginny decided that she was going to start trying to get back to her old self again. She was walking up to the Manor to have another lesson with Narcissa and was done having things be awkward between her and Draco anymore. She was going to take Hermione's advice and just focus on her and getting her life back for now before she rushed into a relationship with anyone.

"Good afternoon, Miss Weasley," came Tilly's voice as she opened the door for Ginny.

"Hey, Tilly, is Mrs. Malfoy here?"

"She's down in the dungeons," came Draco's voice from across the room.

"Oh, thanks," she mumbled as she went to head down there. She suddenly stopped and turned to face him. "You should join me for these lessons."

"My parents have already shown me many charms and spells, I doubt I need any practice." he drawled.

"Pft, well, why don't you prove it......you know I've been getting pretty good....I bet I could take you in a duel," she said, egging him on.

He narrowed his eyes a bit as a smug smirk crossed her face. "Alright, WEASLEY, get ready to have your arse handed to you," he said, following her downstairs.

They walked into the arena and saw Narcissa and Lucius in the middle of a conversation when they both stopped to see Draco behind Ginny.

"Draco? Surprised to see you down here." Narcissa said.

"I'm going to show this little ferret what I've been learning." Ginny confidently said as she made her way to the center of the arena.

"How......interesting," Narcissa said with a smirk, exchanging a look with Lucius. "Draco, are you sure you can handle taking down a simple Weasley?" she teased him.

"Mother, please........I can do this with my eyes clos-"

He was suddenly hit in the chest with a spell and flew backward onto his back. They all started to snicker as he pulled himself up from the floor and glared at Ginny.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." he drawled. "I obviously wasn't ready."

"Alright, I'm sorry, come on, let's do a proper duel. You can relive second year all over again." Ginny laughed as she met him in the center of the arena and had her wand held out in front of her.

He couldn't help but smile at her comment as he thought back to his duel at Hogwarts with Harry in his second year.

"Scared, Weasley?"

"You. Wish," she said with a smirk.

Narcissa and Lucius watched with great amusement at the scene that was about to unfold.

Ginny threw out the first spell that Draco quickly deflected and then shot another right at her and she did the same. She threw a spell at the ground that caused it to sway back and forth under Draco's legs as she threw another spell right at him. He jumped out of the way and rolled aside before he found his balance once more and threw out a combination of spells that Ginny almost dodged each one of, but the last spell hit her upper arm and knocked her to the floor. Draco's instinct was the run over to her, but he stopped when he saw she quickly recovered and shot out her damn fuckin Reducto curse that he knew he was going to feel the effects of. The curse hit him so fast and hard that he hardly had time to get a proper Protego charm up to block it. The curse hit his shield and he felt his feet sliding backward as the curse tried to break through. After trying to keep his Protego charm up after the first few seconds of the spell hitting, he finally realized it was too strong for him to try and shield and he flew across the room once more.

"Fuck, you guys created a damn monster," he scowled at his parents through his heavy breathing as he pulled himself back up. "Ok, I'm done being nice, no more holding back," he said as he tightened his grip on his wand.

He threw a quick stinging jinx at her and she dropped to her knees as she felt her flesh start to sting. She gave out a growl of pain and shot a deadly glare at Draco, who shot another spell out that made a rope wrap around her ankle and dragged her over to him. She was lying on her back as Draco stood above her with a triumphant grin on his face.

"Looks like I win," he said with a smirk.

Ginny quickly sat up and took her leg and leg swiped him, making him fall to the floor right beside her. She then cast a full body bind on him and got to her feet with a big grin on her face.

"I'm sorry.....who won?" she asked.

Narcissa came walking over trying to stifle her snickers, but once she saw her son in the full body bind she couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Laugh it up, Mother, thought we were strictly doing magic. If you want hand-to-hand combat, then you don't stand a chance," he said, finally getting up after Ginny released the spell.

"Someone is a sore loser," Ginny teased with a small giggle.

"Perhaps that is for another day," Narcissa said.

Draco just stood there and watched Ginny, she was saying something to his mother as she pulled her fiery strands up into a messy bun. He saw his parents leave the room and then she turned towards him with a smile.

"That was fun," she said.

"Yeah, for you"

She laughed again. "So, have you been looking through your file?"

"Not really"

"I took mine from Harry and had your mum make a copy for me.....I haven't gone through it either." she shrugged.

He just looked at her as they walked out into the hall. "Why?"

"I don't know, I mean the biggest reason why I wanted my file in the first place was to find out what was in it, but now I already know. The rest is just trying to find some kind of lead to start finding these bastards."

"And what do you plan on doing once you find a lead or find out who these people are? It's not like you can just stroll up to Kingsley and tell him so he can send Aurors-"

"Who said anything about Aurors? I'll be doing this myself.......I'm going to keep learning new spells and defensive charms and-"

"Wait, is that why you're having my parents show you all of this stuff? I thought it was just protective charms and self-defense shit?" he asked angrily.

"Yeah, it is, but your father has been showing me other stuff and I'll happily learn whatever I can."

"Do they know that's why you want to learn this shit? Because you plan on going after these guys?"

"Pft, no, are you kidding me, they wouldn't teach me anything if they knew the real reason," she said, walking towards the front door.

He just stood there and thought about what she said, there was no way he could let her attempt to fight these people alone. He quickly ran over to catch up with her and grabbed her shoulder to turn her around.

"Ginny, please don't do anything stupid. You know how these people are, just.......promise me, you will let me know what you find out and I'll help you."

She just gave him a smile. "Alright, but you have to promise not to say anything to your parents."

He was quiet for a moment.

"Draco, what happened to us working on this case together? You have wanted revenge for so long and now all of a sudden that's changed?"

"No, it hasn't, but I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'M ALREADY HURT, DRACO!" she yelled suddenly. "We all are......I'm tired of hiding and I'm tired of feeling like I'm the one who did something wrong."

He wasn't sure what to say next, all he could do was watch her walk away.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny made her way to the Ministry to attempt to have a lunch date with Harry, but the last one she tried to have with him he had turned her invite down. She was hoping it wasn't personal and decided to just drop in on him at another attempt. She was making her way down the hall to his office when she stopped outside of Will's office when she heard yelling. She got closer to the closed door and put her ear up against it to see who the yelling match was between. The first person she made out was obviously Will and the second person she wasn't too sure about.

She got a bit closer, but was still unable to make out anything and then quickly jumped back when the door was ripped open. Ginny saw Will's brother Joe standing in front of her and he looked a lot angrier than the last time she saw him.

"Oh...hey, Joe," she stammered for words as she was sort of caught eavesdropping.

His angry look switched to the widest smile she had ever seen......it was somewhat unsettling. "GINNY!" he said loudly. "How the hell have you been?" he asked.

"F-Fine, I was just going to see Harry and thought I'd drop by to say a quick hello to Will," she lied.

"Hmm" was all he simply said. He started walking down the hall and then turned back to her. "See ya around......Ginny Weasley," he said with another smile.

Ginny turned and walked into Will's office. "Your brother is a fuckin weirdo," she said, her eyebrows still furrowed at Joe's odd behavior.

Will just gave her a small smile. "So, you came to visit did you?" his smile turning into a smirk.

"Something like that," she mumbled. "So, how are things at the good ole Ministry?"

"Well, I miss my assistant."

"Aww, I guess she was just that good since you miss her so much," she joked.

"Eh, she was the worst, honestly, always rummaging through my things, never came to work on time and broke every single fuckin rule."

Ginny just bit her lip with how much of an awful assistant she really was. "Yeah, maybe it's a good thing that bitch was canned." she joked, causing them both to laugh.

"So what are you doing with all the extra time you have, now that you're not working?" he asked, taking a seat behind his desk.

She just shrugged, "Just.....taking it one day at a time I guess, kind of made some stupid decisions and I'm trying to just focus on getting my head to a good place again."

He nodded and then they both got quiet.

"So, has Kingsley said anything about the case-"

"No, I don't think that's going to ever be reopened honestly." Will said. He watched her expression harden and could tell she was angry by this. "What are your thoughts on that?"

"Honestly, I'll just do what I have to do for revenge, I don't care what Kingsley said."

"Revenge? Is that really what you want-"

"YES," she said loudly.

He just nodded that he understood. "Well, it's just about lunchtime, you better go see what your pal Harry is up to," he said, gesturing to the door.

She just gave a sigh and headed towards the hall, "Guess, I'll see you," she said with a wave.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny knocked on the door to Harry's office and went to peek her head in when the door was opened before she could. She was surprised when there was a woman standing there with her hand on her hip just looking at her.

Ginny didn't say anything, she was too surprised for words to form.

"Oh, hey, Gin, you remember Pansy Parkinson I take it?" Harry said, making his way over to them.

Ginny shook her head as she took in the woman before her. Her hair was long and dark and her features were a lot softer than Ginny ever remembered them to be. "Uh, y-yeah....hey," was all she could manage to say.

"I could tell by the look on your face you must be happy to see me." Pansy sarcastically drawled. "I was just leaving anyway, Weasley." She turned to Harry, "So, I'll stop by again in a few days and you can let me know what you found out?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," Harry said with a smile.

"Alright, well, I'm sure I'll see you again, Weasley," Pansy said as she made her way out of the office.

As soon as she was gone, Ginny turned back to Harry, "Why was Pansy here?"

"Well, technically I'm not supposed to discuss my other clients' business with anyone, but being that it's you asking and I can only imagine what you'll do when you get curious enough....."

She slapped him on the arm.

"Actually, she's been helping me with some stuff on the case.....well she was, things sort of stopped when Kingsley-"

"Wait a minute, you have HER helping on the case, but I-"

"Calm down, Ginny, it's not like that," he quickly said, holding his hands up to stop her from going off on a rant.

She stopped talking and decided to let Harry explain.

"I've only had Pansy helping me for a few months now because I was desperate for some information on some ex-death eaters. Normally I would just have spoken to the Malfoys and I had in the past, but after the war, the Malfoys kept to themselves and didn't associate with any previous followers of Voldemort. Pansy knew people who did, and her parents did as well and since ex-death eaters seem to be a theme in this case, I really wanted to find out as much as I could from her."

"And she just decided that she was going to help you one day? I mean its Pansy Parkinson, she would have hand delivered you to Voldemort if she had the chance. Why would she so willingly give up that kind of information?"

"Because about two years ago her parents were murdered by these people, it was probably a few months before Astoria was killed. At the time there wasn't too much of a pattern with these people, but Pansy and her family started going through some of the same stuff that Draco had been....the threats, the random attacks out on the street. After Astoria and Blaise were murdered, Pansy went to the Ministry asking for some kind of protection for the rest of her family and right after her visit to the Ministry she returned home to find them dead."

"Them?" Ginny asked, a lump forming in her throat.

"Her husband and three-year old son, they were killed by the same people."

Ginny was unable to speak from how large the lump in her throat had formed, she just placed her hand over her mouth at the horrid news.

"That's why she was MORE THAN willing to give me whatever information I needed."

"That's horrible.....have you been able to find out anything from the information she's given you?"

"Actually, that's where I got Gregory Pines' name from.....so she's been pretty helpful. Sorry I didn't say anything."

"It's alright, I'm sorry that I automatically assume that I have this right to NEED to know everything," she said with a half smile.

He pulled her into a hug. "So why are you here anyway?"

"Well, I was hoping for a lunch date, but after hearing that story......I'm not very hungry anymore."

"Maybe a change of topic is in order? How about this party at the Manor coming up? Bet you're just full of excitement over that?" he teased, taking a seat at his desk with Ginny across from him.

"They must be freaking out having to let all those people in their wards.....is the Ministry going to have any sort of protection there?" she asked, a genuine concern for Draco and his parents on her face.

"I'm not sure, I'll definitely be there and so will your dad, so we both plan to keep an eye out."

She gave him a thankful nod.

"Should I ask how that whole thing is going?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She just shrugged. "Everything is just on hold right now, I need to get back to my normal self first before ANYTHING else."

He smiled at her comment, "I think that's the best decision you've made in weeks," he joked, causing her to let out a small giggle.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny stood in the doorway of Draco's bedroom just watching him read in front of the fire. She was standing there with a smirk as she waited to see how long it took him to notice she was standing there. After almost ten minutes she started getting annoyed from waiting and watched him turn the page.

"How much longer are you going to stand there, weirdo" he drawled, as he kept his eyes on his book.

"You knew I was standing here the whole time? Why didn't you say anything?" she snapped, as she took a seat on the couch beside him.

"First, you always forget about the wards and not many people visit these days so it's always you. Second, I've been watching my back for five years, so having you stand in plain view in my doorway wasn't something I wouldn't notice."

Ginny just made a face and mocked him.

"Why aren't you downstairs learning how to be a death eater?" he asked her with a smirk.

"Oh, I'm hoping to get my dark mark today," she joked.

He put the book down and looked at her, "That's not funny." his face was serious as he pretended to be hurt by her joke.

"Now, is there a certain arm this thing goes on.....or..." she pulled up her sleeves and held out her forearms for Draco to pick one.

He just smirked at her and slapped her arms away from him.

"Actually, I wanted to tell you something I found out."

Ginny started to tell Draco about her encounter with Pansy and everything that Harry told her about.

"Shit, that's brutal, but it seems he's getting some pretty good info out of her. I mean Pines was a good lead and you could tell he was devoted to this group of people with how quickly he took his own life so he wouldn't be questioned."

They both became quiet as they got lost in their thoughts. Draco noticed Ginny staring at him and was really deep in thought as she looked like she pondering something.

"Alright, go ahead," he said.

"Go ahead what?" she laughed.

"Go ahead and ask me because everyone else has and I know you're wondering it."

She bit her lip, "Did you and Pansy date or -"

He just laughed as she started to ask him. "See, I told you and no, we never dated, we never fucked, nothing.......SHE liked me and I liked the attention, but that's it."

"Hmm" was all she said.

"Hmm? What does that mean?" he snapped.

"Nothing, just.....hmm," she giggled.

They were both quiet again.

"Maybe that's who Harry is fucking," Draco suggested.

"WHAT? Yeah, right, that would be like me fucking-" she stopped.

Draco just raised an eyebrow at her, "Me? Yeah, doesn't seem so far-fetched now does it?" he said smugly.

"I HARDLY doubt that Harry would be seeing Pansy Parkinson.....that's just weird."

"Do you hear yourself? You know that we fucked right here on this couch......twice, you a Weasley and me a Malfoy, you a Gryffindor and I a Slytherin. You a-"

"OK, I GET IT!" she snapped.

"Well, then it's not as weird as you think......it would be quite....interesting though."

"Supposedly, Hermione said he's been seeing whoever this woman is for a few months now."

"This whole time you thought he was canceling your lunch dates for Cho Chang and it was really for Pansy," Draco laughed.

"Shut up, Harry isn't seeing her, believe me....I think I know Harry a little better than you do."

"We should make this more interesting," Draco said.

"How so?"

"I bet Pansy is the one he's seeing....I mean, apparently, Slytherins are a thing for you guys," he joked as Ginny slapped him. "So, if it turns out he is......then Iet's see, what do I win...."

"You could bet whatever you want because you're wrong, he's probably seeing like Luna or-"

"Lovegood? Yeah, right.......she's a psycho."

"She's not a psycho.....she's just different."

"You're right, YOU'RE the psycho." he laughed.

She glared at him. "If it turns out Harry isn't seeing Pansy then I want you to practice dueling with me still."

"Ok, fine, BUT if I'm right, then.....hmm, I don't really need anything......You know I can really use a good blowjob, how are you at sucking dick?" he joked.

She slapped him again on the arm. "SHUT UP!" she laughed. "Go ahead and bet that because you're wrong. So get your wand arm ready because you're going to be on your arse more than your feet."

"Alright, well, get your dick sucking lips on because that's like a guaranteed blowjob for me and you'll be on your knees before I'm on my arse," he said smugly.

"We'll see"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it is, your thoughts? There was a bit of our normal Ginny back and some of that Drinny flirting that we all love so much...PLEASE REVIEW!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter took longer to post! I really want to give a HUGE SHOUT OUT and thanks to everyone who reviews my chapters! They mean so much to me and I hope you all know that I respond to every single review you guys leave for me. Please continue to review, I hope you like this chapter! Love you all <3

Ginny jolted out of her sleep drenched in sweat and quickly sat up as she tried to steady her breathing.

"Fuck," she whispered out into the dark room.

She made her way downstairs to the kitchen and got a glass of water before taking a seat at the table. Her eyes went to the back door when she saw Harry walk in and then she looked at the clock on the wall.

"You're just now getting in? It's four in the morning," she said, taking a sip of water.

"Uh, yeah...sorry," he said and then took notice of her pale, clammy complexion and sweat-soaked shirt. "Are you ok?" he asked, taking a seat across from her.

She just nodded.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her, knowing she had been struggling with nightmares.

She just shook her head.

They were both quiet for a moment; Ginny took notice of his disheveled appearance. "Why are you getting in so late?"

"Oh, um, just...was hanging out with a friend." he shrugged.

"You mean the same friend that you're NOT seeing and that you're NOT sleeping with?" she asked with a smirk.

He scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Yeah...that one."

"Are you going to tell me who it is?"

"There's nothing to tell, you know, did you ever think that maybe I'm working late?" he asked defensively.

"Oh yeah? On what? Kingsley has forbidden anyone to work on the case and took most of the files away. What exactly are you working on at the Ministry at this time of night? More importantly, what kind of work are you doing that causes the buttons to your shirt not to line up correctly." she teased as she pointed out his poorly aligned shirt.

He just glared at her and undid a few of his buttons and redid it so that they lined up. "I'm going to sleep, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said with a sigh as she watched him walk into the living room.

She just sat there and looked at the clock again and just gave a loud groan at her lack of sleep lately and buried her face in her arms on the kitchen table.

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"Ginny?"

Ginny snapped her head up suddenly and saw Hermione and Ron standing in front of her. She grabbed her neck after realizing it was stiff and then saw she was still in the kitchen from last night.

"What's wrong? Your bed not as comfortable as the table?" Ron laughed.

She just glared at him and saw Harry walk into the kitchen and glance her way. "Have you been sleeping down here since I got home last night?" he asked, taking a seat and rubbing his eyes.

"I guess I fell asleep," she said with a yawn. "Why are you up already? I thought you were off?"

"Yeah, I have some stuff I have to do with Ron and Hermione," he said as he too yawned from his short night of sleep he squeezed in.

"Maybe if you weren't out until the wee hours of the morning you would have gotten some proper sleep." Ginny teased him.

"Oh, really, Harry? With who, your mystery girl again?" Hermione chimed in.

"I'm going to take a shower," he quickly said, before getting up and heading back upstairs.

"Guess I'll go say hi to mum and dad," Ron said, walking into the living room followed by Hermione.

"Uh, Hermione?" Ginny called out to her.

"Yeah?" she said, walking back over to her.

"Can I talk to you real quick?"

"Of course, what's going on?" she asked, as she took a seat across from her.

Ginny let out a nervous breath, "I've been having such horrible nightmares the past few days. I mean I've had just nightmares in general after getting my memories back, but the ones I've been having lately are just so...vivid, it's like I'm there reliving the entire thing in real life. They get so bad to the point I'm waking up in actual pain, looking to see if I'm hurt or something. Is there something wrong with me?"

Hermione just had a sad look on her face. "Ginny, having vivid nightmares after something so horrid is normal. It's kind of part of the whole post-traumatic stress bit. The pain and stuff you're experiencing almost sound like sleep terrors, which can be pretty awful...sometimes dangerous even. Have you been sleepwalking or anything?"

"Not that I'm aware of," she said, the thought of it sent a shiver down her spine.

"Maybe you need to take some sleeping draught to help. You said you are having them more often so you'll want to be careful, there have been cases where people get violent during their nightmares, especially if they wake up in the middle of them."

"Well, I haven't experienced anything like that."

"Well, you wouldn't, most people don't remember things they've done while sleepwalking or the first initial jolt out of sleep."

"I've only just been jolting out of sleep drenched in sweat and kind of shaky."

Hermione just gave an understanding nod. "I can try and get you some sleeping draught, but it will be a few days."

"I think I could get some from Draco, actually."

"Ok, good."

"Hermione...how long will these nightmares last? Once in a while was something I could deal with, but every day now is really messing with my sleep schedule." she lightly joked.

"I'm not sure, Gin, the easiest answer is to try and get your mind on something else, but it's not that simple. Your case is also a little different because your memories were restored and normally memories that have been extracted are never replaced again...they are normally destroyed. Harry only held onto your memories for investigation purposes." Hermione explained.

Ginny didn't say anything, she was just lost in the entire conversation Hermione and her were having.

"Let's just try the sleeping draught for now, ok?" she said with a reassuring smile.

Ginny just nodded and gave her a small smile, hoping that the potion would help her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After Ginny's conversation with Hermione, she tried to take her advice and focus on something else rather than all the negative. As hard as it was, she still tried and dragged herself to Draco's and gave three short knocks before she automatically entered the Manor. She made her way upstairs as she did so many times before and threw his door open.

"Ginny" he drawled, as he was looking through his dresser drawer for something.

"Draco" she drawled back.

"What's the scoop today? Is it Pansy?" he asked, glancing over at her.

"Don't know yet, although he did come in at like four in the morning all disheveled so he's definitely seeing someone," she said, sitting on the floor beside the dresser drawer he was rummaging through.

"Oh yeah, he's definitely getting laid, if it's Pansy it's probably pretty decent sex too."

"Really, how would you know that?" she asked him, folding her arms.

He just shrugged, "I don't, but she kind of just looks like it would be a pretty wild experience."

She just glared at him for a moment and then thought about it for a second. "You know what, you're probably right." she laughed.

"Anyway, what brings you here this time?"

"I want you to come with me to Pristine Point tonight," she said with a smile.

He snapped his head up at her. "Oh, well that depends, am I going to be bringing your drunk arse here again so you can wake everyone and try to rape me?"

She just laughed. "No, this time I'll make sure you're the drunk one."

He just scoffed.

"Honestly Draco, I just need a break, I need to experience something positive for a little while," she explained, her tone serious.

He looked into her eyes and saw how sad they looked, he wanted to grab her face and kiss her senseless.

"Alright, I'll go," he said.

A giant smile spread across her face. "Splendid," she said and then watched him go back to rummaging through his drawer. "What are you looking for anyway?" she asked as she peeked her head over to see it was just a junk drawer.

"A certain pair of cufflinks I was going to wear to this ridiculous party," he said with a slight sneer at the mention of it.

"You seem like you would have your thousands of cufflinks better organized than this. Just pick out a different set, you have plenty to choose from." she teased.

"I want what I want, now get off my back woman, besides, when a Malfoy gets dressed up...he makes sure he is on point all the way down to the cufflink."

"Alright, alright, let me give you a hand then," she said as she scooted closer and started rummaging through with him.

They had moved on to the next drawer and Ginny grabbed a small box and opened it. "Well, well, look at this thing. The famous Slytherin ring, you should wear this," she said, putting it on her finger and admiring it.

"Eh, keep it," he said with a shrug.

"What? No way, don't you want this for memories?"

"Memories of what? How most Slytherins back then were trained to become Death Eaters?" he said with a snarl.

"No, just the fact that you were in Slytherin, I mean, that's still pretty badass regardless of the whole Death Eater thing. It's a part of who you are...who you were."

He just looked at the ring sitting loosely on her finger.

She slid it off and took his hand and placed it on his finger. "Keep it," she said with a smile, as her eyes traveled from the ring on his hand and up to his silver eyes.

She just gave him a small smile and went back to the drawer in front of them. "Oh, now what is this one? Another ring? How many Slytherin rings do you-" she stopped when she opened the small box and saw it wasn't a house ring at all...it was an engagement ring. "Wow," she whispered.

Draco gently took it from her and looked at it for a minute. "It's gorgeous, isn't it? I like to think I had pretty decent taste when it came to this sort of thing," he said softly.

Ginny was quiet, she had no clue what to even say. "Draco-"

"I think she wore this for almost an hour before she was slaughtered," he said, snapping the box closed.

He held the box out in front of him as he got lost in his thoughts.

Ginny felt a bit awkward at the moment, she wasn't sure what to say, but she also wanted to comfort Draco. She gently took the box back out of his hands and placed it in the drawer beside the box his house ring was in and then her eyes caught another box in the back corner of the drawer. She opened it up and a smirk formed on her face.

"You were right, these are some pretty fancy cufflinks," she said, handing the box to him.

He just gave her a slight grin as he took the box from her. "I think Pristine Point sounds like a great idea."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny made her way down the hall towards Harry's office and stopped outside his door when she heard someone in there with him. It wasn't long before she realized it was Pansy again and she put her ear closer to the door. She couldn't hear a damn thing and gave a soft sigh.

"Why are these damn doors so hard to hear through," she mumbled to herself.

"Probably to stop people from eavesdropping" came a voice from behind her.

She jumped away from the door quickly and turned around to see Will standing there.

"Oh, hey, I was just trying to-"

"To eavesdrop?" he said with a smirk.

"N-no...I was actually trying to...to...to eavesdrop," she mumbled the last part.

"It's Pansy Parkinson in there with him, she comes around a lot these days," he said.

"Hmm, does she now?" she said, looking at the closed door in front of her. "Thanks for the info," she said before giving a quick knock and opening the door.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you had a client in here." she lied.

"That's ok Gin, we are just about finished."

"Weasley, we meet again," Pansy said as she did a quick glance at Ginny.

"So we do, what brings you here today?" she asked, shooting Harry a small smirk.

He just shook his head at her in amusement.

"Well, Harry, of course," Pansy said nonchalantly, taking a seat in front of his desk.

Surprised by her answer, Ginny tried to make out what she meant by that. "I'm sorry...Harry?"

"Yeah, just wanted to see if he wanted to grab some lunch...unless that's why you're here?" she asked.

"Oh, no, actually Harry, I was just seeing if you had plans tonight."

"Actually, yeah, I have something I need to do later."

Pansy just looked at Ginny with a giant smile. "Nah, he means me, he has ME to do later, it's alright Harry, you don't have to be shy, I mean, aren't you fuckin around with Draco?" she asked Ginny, an amused giggle erupting from her mouth.

"Uh-"

"Alright, Pansy, how about I'll just see you later," he said, quickly shoving her out of his office as she continued to laugh.

Harry closed the door and had his back against it and leaned his head back with a long sigh.

"SO YOU ARE SEEING PANSY!" Ginny yelled out in disbelief.

"Ginny, calm down, it's not like that"

"HOLY SHIT, DRACO WAS RIGHT!" she shouted out, more to herself than anything.

"Huh?"

She held her head in her hands, "Pansy, really?" she asked.

"Draco, really?" he shot back.

"Touché," she mumbled. "How did this happen? Is she really normal and not a psycho like everyone thinks?" she asked.

"It was just a fooling around sort of thing and then things just happened."

Ginny bit her lip as she thought about the fuck sessions her and Draco had that eventually turned into this train wreck of an unspoken relationship they somewhat sort of have.

"And yes, she's normal... kind of, well...I'm not sure, she's definitely...different," he said as he got lost in different ways to try and describe what is Pansy Parkinson.

Ginny just smiled at him, "Well, how serious is this thing?"

"We are just having fun right now, honestly, I don't think she's really ready to commit to anything, she still has a lot of emotional stuff to work through."

"We know all about that," she mumbled.

"So what's going on tonight?"

"Pristine Point, I'll ask Ron and Hermione if they want to-"

"How about you don't ask anyone and you and Draco just go together?" Harry suggested.

"Oh...I guess we could," she said nervously as she fidgeted with her hands.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just, I'm trying to take things slow and just have fun, I feel like when I'm alone with Draco I just want to go against everything and snog the bloody git senseless." she sighed.

"Remember, Gin, its Pristine Point...you're not Ginny Weasley there...just Ginny," he said with a smile.

She gave a small smile back and a quick nod as his words sank in.

"Well, I'll see ya I guess," she sighed as she walked towards the door.

"Leaving already?"

"Yeah, I have to go do some jaw exercises," she said with a groan.

"Huh?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's just say, I lost a bet," she said with a smirk before leaving the office.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco's feet hit the ground and once again felt them sink into sand as that beach smell filled his senses.

"Fuck, I forgot how nice this place is," he said.

"Yeah, me too," Ginny said with a smile as she stared out into the ocean.

They were both quiet for a minute as they got lost in their thoughts.

"Well, come on, let's drown our sorrows with some liquor," Ginny joked, leading the way to the bar.

They got closer to the bar and Draco started thinking back to the last time he was here with Ginny. He remembered how wild Ginny was that night and how she was the life of the party, but as willing as she was to let loose tonight he could tell her mind was still on her life in the wizarding world.

"GINNY! HEY GIRL, IT'S BEEN A WHILE, LET ME HOOK YOU UP!" Eddy yelled from down the bar.

"Thanks, Eddy," she said, taking a seat at the bar with Draco beside her.

Eddy came walking over with a tray full of shots and placed it down in front of them. "Draco, you came back, are you still straight?"

Ginny giggled at his question.

"Yes, Eddy...still straight," Draco said with a smirk before taking one of the shots.

Ginny threw one shot back also, but just cradled the empty glass as she looked at the tray full in front of her.

"Hey," Draco said, getting her attention.

She looked at him and he took the empty glass from her and put another full one in her hand. "Remember...you're not Ginny Weasley tonight...just Ginny," he reminded her like she did to him when he first came to Pristine Point.

She just smiled and gave an understanding nod. "Just Ginny," she said, holding up the shot and then threw it back.

"You know, since we are being JUST Ginny and JUST Draco, I can do this," Draco said.

"Do wha-"

He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss and then pulled back. Ginny was completely caught off guard by the kiss and a huge smile spread across her face. It wasn't their usual passionate fierce kisses, but still enough to make her remember why she loved him so fuckin much.

She just stared at him and he gave her a look that dared her to say something about him kissing her. After she decided that she was perfectly ok with it, she grabbed another shot and started throwing them back with Draco. After emptying the tray of drinks, Ginny took Draco by the hand and pulled him through the crowd and onto the dance floor. Once Ginny started to let the drinks set in and she started dancing she started to feel like her old self again.

Draco couldn't keep his eyes off of her, she was almost gone from his life not too long ago and now here he was dancing with her. One of her arms around his neck and the other one in the air as she danced. Her hair flying all around and gently hitting his face as she turned her head here and there. He really wanted to hear Ginny say that she loved him, when he thought about how much he loved her it physically hurt him to keep his hands to himself...to keep holding back from showing her all the love he had for her. He completely understood why Ginny didn't want to rush into a relationship and he sometimes felt the same way when he thought of Astoria, but it was impossible whenever she was around him.

He had his hand firmly around her waist as she danced close to him and the large crowd was pushing them closer and closer together. He watched her eyes travel his face as a smile stretched across hers and then he felt her other hand entangle itself in his hair as she softly grabbed it. He felt her thumb caress his earlobe as everyone continued to dance around them, but they both seemed to have stopped moving altogether. She leaned in until her lips were inches from his ear.

"Let's get some more drinks," she whispered before pulling away and walking back to the bar.

He felt his body cover in goosebumps as her breath tickled his ear and he bit his fist to keep himself from grabbing her back and dragging her to a secluded area to bang her brains out. He followed her back up to the bar and she already had another tray of drinks waiting for them.

"I see we aren't pacing ourselves tonight," he drawled.

She threw two shots back and then looked at him. "You better catch up," she laughed, shoving two shot glasses in each of his hands.

He quickly drank them and then saw Ginny get up and start to drag him somewhere else.

"Come on; let's go take a walk on the beach."

They walked down to the water where Draco stared out into darkness, nothing but the light of the moon reflecting off of the ocean. He saw Ginny kick her shoes off and watched the short red sundress she had on, blow all around her as the breeze hit them. He took his shoes off also and followed her to the edge of the water where the waves would occasionally hit their feet. They started talking about anything and everything, mostly about their Hogwarts days. They were both feeling the liquor at this point and were using each other to hold the other up. It didn't help any when Eddy made two other trips over to them with more drinks.

"This place really is amazing," Draco said.

"It is, to have somewhere to literally run away to... sometimes I think about staying here forever," Ginny sighed.

Draco just looked at her as she stared out into the water. "Why don't you do some of your famous drunk night swimming," he said, trying to keep her mind from wandering off into the negative again.

She looked at him with a smirk and pulled him along with her in the water until they were chest deep and Draco finally stopped her from going any further.

"I think this is good," he said, holding her arm to keep her near him.

"But my feet are still touching the bottom, I like when I can't feel anything beneath me...makes it more mysterious," she said.

He pulled her closer to him and he grabbed her legs and wrapped them around his waist. "There, now you're not touching the bottom,"

Ginny felt her heart start to race and the feel of him between her legs had her hormones raging. Her eyes locked with his and there was no way now that she could possibly look anywhere else but at those mercury orbs.

She slid her arms around his neck to steady herself and tightened her legs around him and suddenly crashed her lips down on his. He was kissing her so hard he thought he might be hurting her, but from her moans of pleasure, he was wrong. She felt him slide his hand up her thigh where her dress had rolled up and her entire lower body was exposed beneath the water. She felt his hand make its way under the thin, lacy panties she had on and cup her ass firmly to push her closer to him.

She smiled against his lips and looked at him again, "We should go back to the Manor," she whispered out before he had his lips on her again.

He was so lost in the way she made him feel right now that all he could do was nod against his constant kisses against her lips. They barely made it back to their spot where they apparated from before they were in his bedroom at the Manor. They were both soaking wet and didn't waste a second stripping out of their wet clothes and making their way over to the bed as they viciously kissed and groped each other. Draco felt Ginny push him roughly backward onto his bed and ran her hands up both of his thighs before she leaned in closer to him.

"I just thought you would like to know..." she stopped and wrapped one of her hands around his hard cock.

"Know what?" he asked through his heavy breaths.

"Harry IS seeing Pansy, which means..."

He furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about what she meant and just as he remembered their bet he felt her mouth around his dick. He would never have made Ginny do something like that regardless of the bet, he was just messing around, but he also wasn't going to stop her. He felt her tongue glide across the tip of his cock and licked away any pre-cum that begged to explode into her mouth. Every time he didn't think it could feel any more pleasurable than it already did, she would have him fighting harder and harder to put off his release.

Ginny felt Draco's hand tightly wrapped in her hair as she sucked his throbbing cock, every time she took him deeper into her mouth she felt his grip tighten. She couldn't believe how much pleasure she got just from having Draco's dick in her mouth and then to taste his pre-release made her want to cum right then and there.

Draco was watching her suck him off, was it possible for her to look so beautiful doing something so dirty? He saw her eyes lock with his as she took him all the way inside her mouth and he couldn't wait much longer, he had to have her...NOW.

He untangled his hand from her hair and practically threw her onto the bed before getting on top of her. He got on his knees and ripped her legs apart before pulling her hot, wet pussy towards his throbbing erection. Just before he was ready to pound into her he stopped and stared at her for a moment as she lay there looking up at him.

He traced his fingers over the scars on her stomach; each one he touched made his heart ache for the woman beneath him. He leaned down and placed a trail of kisses over them all the way up to the one on her shoulder where he finally came to her soft pink lips. They stared at each other for a moment before Ginny pulled his face gently down to hers and then she gave his bottom lip a light nip that quickly put him back into beast mode.

He used one hand to pin her wrists down above her head before he finally pounded into her. He watched her throw her head back in pleasure as he entered her and he quickly pulled out and re-entered her again, each time harder and faster. He released his grip on her wrists so he could use both hands to wrap around her legs and pull her closer to him. He watched Ginny grab his sheets as she neared her climax and he could feel her throbbing pussy around his dick as he continued to grind harder into her. He slid his hand to the small of her back as she arched it back along with her head as she came all over his now erupting cock. She was so loud when she came that Draco had placed a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.

"Next time, we put a silencing charm up," he whispered to her as he gently took his hand away, causing them both to fall into a fit a laughter.

"Sorry," she mumbled, as she adjusted herself beside him on his bed and laid her head on his chest.

They both lay there in his bed as their breathing returned to normal and everything was quiet.

"Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it ok if I sleep in your bed tonight or do you want me to sleep on the couch?"

They both laughed.

"The couch," Draco joked, causing Ginny to poke him in the ribs, "Alright, alright, you can sleep in my bed." he laughed, pulling her closer to him.

He just held her in his arms and played with a piece of her hair as he watched her start to doze off on his chest. Everything seemed so perfect right now and it was moments like this that scared him, mostly because he was afraid that they would be taken from him eventually just like before.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

All she could do was scream, she screamed until her throat was raw and there was no more air left in her lungs. She felt every stab pierce her body and be plunged deep inside her as the taste of blood pooled in her mouth. There was nothing but a black haze closing in on her as her screams continued to fill her ears and then a high pitched ringing soon took its place.

Ginny's eyes snapped open and she shot up in bed and quickly threw the blankets off of herself. She was short of breath and her body was trembling from head to toe, she could barely brush her sweaty hair out of her face. She looked beside her to see Draco fast asleep and she then remembered it was a nightmare. As she thought back to the horrid dream she started to panic as she remembered how real everything felt. She went to run to the bathroom, but as soon as she went to step out of the bed she collapsed to the floor.

For some reason, her legs couldn't hold her up and she felt that stabbing pain throughout her body, causing her to wipe her hand over her scars and check to see if she was bleeding. She quickly placed a hand over her mouth to try and quiet her panicked breaths so she wouldn't wake Draco up.

"F-Fuck," she whispered out.

She dragged herself over to the couch and pulled herself up onto shaky legs. She could barely make it to the bathroom as her body shook uncontrollably, but she eventually managed. She quietly closed the door and then turned the water on to cup some into her mouth. Even though she wasn't actually screaming outside of her dream, her throat was still hoarse as if she was. She tried to cup the water in her hand, but she was shaking so much she couldn't keep any in her hand. Instead, she brought her mouth to the faucet and then wet her face and then she just took a step back and looked at herself in the mirror. She held her hands out in front of her to try and keep them steady but her nerves were all over the place. She finally lost the battle of trying to steady her trembling body and felt the bile rush to her mouth and she threw herself over the toilet and threw up.

She rinsed her mouth and grabbed one of the many bathrobes Draco had hung up in the bathroom and wrapped it around her naked body. She took a seat beside the toilet as her stomach still felt uneasy and laid her face on the cold marble floor. The cool feeling against her sweaty, pale face was almost calming and she felt her trembling body start to relax. She felt her eyes start to droop and she soon fell into an uneasy sleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Ginny...Gin...wake up"

She opened her eyes to see Draco squatting down beside her, god he was fuckin gorgeous to wake up to. She suddenly realized she was still on the bathroom floor and quickly sat up.

"Damn, you look like shit, looks like the alcohol got to you last night," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I guess so," she lied, deciding to leave out her debilitating nightmares she suddenly started having.

Everything was just about back to normal in her life and everything with Draco was going great so far. She didn't want to have him worrying over something so silly, that's why she spoke to Hermione about it.

Draco held his hand out and pulled her up from the floor. "Are you sticking around for breakfast?" he asked her.

"I think I'm just going to head home and grab a shower and maybe a long nap...which reminds me. Draco, do you have any sleeping draught I can get from you?" she asked.

He opened his medicine cabinet, "Uh, yeah, but I only got this one," he said, handing her the vial. "Is everything ok?" he asked at her request for sleeping draught.

She quickly nodded, "Yeah, I just...it's for Harry, he's having trouble sleeping so I told him I'd see if you had any. You do have a medicine cabinet full of every other damn potion so you were my go-to guy." she joked.

"My mother is pretty gifted in the potions department also so I'm sure she could whip a few more of these up if he needs."

She just nodded, "Thanks," she said as she walked back into his room and grabbed her dress and threw it over her head and pulled it on. "So, this party...it's coming up soon. How are your parents dealing with having to take the wards down?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

He shrugged, "Well, they have less than two weeks to be ok with it, my mother is freaking out more than anything. I've tried to tell her it's just for a few hours, but a lot can happen in just a few hours."

She looked at his face as he said this, he seemed a bit concerned himself.

"Last night was fun," she said suddenly, trying to get his mind off of the party.

He looked at her with a smirk and then nodded in agreement.

She started walking towards the door.

"Hey, Ginny, if you want...I'll still practice dueling with you even though you lost that bet."

She smiled at his offer, "Alright," she responded, her mind was begging him to kiss her goodbye, but he didn't.

She gave him one last smile before turning to leave and she thought about how she could kiss him herself without it defining a relationship between them. It's not like one more kiss was going to mean she wanted to go steady with him. As she turned back towards him, he was already in front of her with his lips on hers.

She smiled against his lips and looked into his eyes, "I'll see ya," she said as she finally managed to turn and walk away.

"Yeah... see ya,"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny had been smiling most of the day since she got back from Draco's and all she could think about was last night with him. She was so lost in her thoughts that she still had the brush halfway through her hair and was daydreaming.

"Hey, Gin," came George's voice from the doorway.

She jumped at the sound of her name and tossed her brush at him. "You scared the shit out of me," she snapped.

"Well, you were staring off into space, who were you thinking about?" he asked with a smirk. "Chamberlain? Oh, William, you're just so charming," he teased.

"YUCK! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" she shouted.

"I'm not even in your room, I'm in the hallway," he laughed.

She got up and slammed the door in his face as she heard his laughs on the other side.

"Stupid git," she mumbled to herself before she grabbed the brush off the floor.

She went to go put her hair up when she heard a tapping at her window and saw an owl. She didn't recognize the owl as she took the letter it was holding out of its mouth. It seemed pretty friendly as it let her pet it after she took the letter. She opened it to see a short note.

Miss Weasley,

Let's see how good you are at following directions...

Do NOT tell a soul about this letter.

She scoffed at the letter before throwing it on her vanity table and continued to brush her hair. She remembered how many letters she saw Draco had gotten over the years from many different people. Most of them were death threats and just letters to scare him and to mess with his mind.

She finally pulled her hair into a ponytail as Harry gave a quick knock and poked his head in. "Hey, Gin, dinner is just about ready."

"Oh ok, I'll be right down...oh, look at what I just got," she said in amusement as she handed him the letter.

He read it real quick and examined it for a few moments. "Interesting,"

"Yeah, so mysterious," she joked. "I'm not going to be fooled again like the last letter I got. I'm just going to ignore it," she said.

"Alright, well just let me know if any more come, I'm going to take this one to the Ministry and see if I can somehow track where it came from," he said, giving her a small smile before leaving the room.

After giving herself one last glance over in the mirror, she went to get up to make her way downstairs when she heard tapping at her window again. She looked to see the same black Raven that had delivered the first letter she had gotten that threatened George's life. She couldn't help but grow annoyed and walked over and snatched the letter out of its mouth.

"Now what," she mumbled as she unfolded the letter.

Miss Weasley,

I told you not to tell a soul about the letter...you failed, now you must face the consequences.

Every time you refuse to follow directions YOU will be punished.

Ginny suddenly felt a lump form in her throat; how did this person know she told Harry about the letter so quickly? She felt completely uneasy suddenly and she couldn't help but think if she should even believe a word of it. What kind of consequence would she be facing? Was she over thinking the letter and should she show this other one to Harry? She quickly ran over to the window and looked all around outside to see if she could spot anyone. After a few more scans around the perimeter of the wards around the Burrow, she still found nobody in sight. She wasn't too worried about this letter in the end, the only places she ever went was to the Ministry and to the Manor. The chances of anything happening on the way to the Ministry were greater than apparating right outside of the Manor's wards, so she decided she would just keep clear of the Ministry for a few days.

"It's fine, everything is fine, fuck this letter and fuck these people," she said to herself as she looked in the mirror. "They just want to mess with your head."

She gave one last look at herself and then turned to make her way downstairs. She wasn't as scared as she was after she was attacked that day in Harry's apartment. After getting her memories back and still grieving from everything her and Harry lost, now...she was just fuckin pissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so what do we think? Some Drinny scenes in there for you all =D Guys, please don't hate me for saying this, but for some reason when I think of Pansy's personality she reminds me of Harley Quinn, LOL! Is it just me?
> 
> PLEASE REVIEW! I need them!


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT! I have created a Facebook group for my fanfiction (Nikki's Fanfics) that I would love for you all to join. It will be for anyone who is a fan of my fanfics/writing and I will keep you guys posted on how the latest chapters are coming along. I will also give you guys a preview of the next chapter to hold you over. Feel free to message me on there and ask any questions you have about the current fic I'm writing or any of my stories that I've posted. PLEASE JOIN =D
> 
> THE LINK IS: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/
> 
> On another note, this chapter is almost a whopping 8k words, I'm sorry if its so long, there just wasn't a good place to stop.
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter and please review!

"Sir, do you want to see it before we pick her up?"

An evil smile spread across his face at the question. "Yes," he said before following the man into another room.

"This is perfect...I can hardly wait to see how she handles this one," he laughed before leaving the room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny woke up the next morning and was relieved that the sleeping draught she took worked. She gave a long yawn and stretched across her bed before her eyes fell on the letter on top of her vanity. She rolled her eyes at the content of the letter she read yesterday and threw the blankets off of her. She walked over and grabbed the letter and read it again.

"Pft, consequences, huh? What are the consequences of me doing this?" she said to herself as she tore it in half and crumpled all the pieces up into a ball.

Seeming pleased by her refusal to let this letter get to her head, she headed to the bathroom to take a shower and got ready to head to Draco's.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny apparated right outside of the wards to Malfoy Manor and she stopped for a moment and bit her lip as she thought back to the other night with Draco. Everything seemed so perfect between her and Draco right now and working slowly to a relationship was working out better than she could hope for. She knew she loved him and she wanted to tell him and she was going to...soon. She just didn't want to ruin anything between them right now, she hadn't even heard Draco say the actual words "I love you" directly to her yet. She only knew of his feelings of love for her...but that was the same thing...right?

She quickly shook her head free of all the thoughts running through her head before she overcomplicated the entire situation.

"You really need to stop overthinking," she said to herself. "Well, you also need to stop talking to yourself so much," she mumbled.

Just as she was about to walk through the wards, she heard a branch snap in the wooded area beside her.

"Hello-"

She barely had the word out of her mouth before everything went black around her and she fell unconscious.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Oh, Ginnnnnny? Wake up; I've been waiting long enough now."

Ginny opened her eyes and found herself on the floor inside some sort of room with clear walls. She got to her feet and automatically looked for her wand, but it was nowhere around here. She saw someone standing outside of the room with a face mask on and all around him and the rest of the room was complete darkness. The only light was inside this plastic room she was in that she quickly glanced around. The wall behind her had hundreds of spikes sticking out and along the entire room was boxes covered with a black cloth, some were bigger than others.

"Where am I? What is this?" she asked, anger rising in her voice.

"THIS...is the consequence, Ginny," he said with a sad smile.

"How did you know I told Harry about the letter?"

"That shouldn't be your concern, the only concern you should have is where you should step next," he said, gesturing to the tiles on the floor she was standing on.

He waved his wand to uncover the first small box to reveal a rat inside of it.

"Let the rat out of the box," he simply said.

She just looked at him and went to walk towards the rat when she felt the tile under her foot press down and the rat suddenly exploded, filling the box with blood and guts.

Ginny fell back onto the floor in surprise and just stared at the box and then snapped her head over to the man.

"You have to be strategic now," he laughed.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, as she tried her hardest not to panic.

"Because, Ginny, it's fun. Do you know how much pleasure we get out of torturing you and your friends and family? I'm not going to lie... a FUCKIN lot." he laughed. "See, everyone keeps asking why we haven't just killed this person or that person, but it's honestly so much more rewarding to keep you guys alive and make you suffer as much as we possibly can."

"I will follow the directions you tell me to from now on just please...please let me out of here," she begged.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that Ginny, but I can't possibly let you out until you see what else we have to blow up," he said before he clapped his hands excitedly.

He waved his wand and uncovered the next two things in the boxes, one was a cat and the other was some random house elf.

Ginny just stood there afraid to take the next step.

"You better start making a decision, time is not on your side I'm afraid," he said as he waved his wand again and the wall full of spikes behind her started to move towards her.

Ginny let out a shaky breath as she took the next step and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the cat was still in one piece.

"Aw, that is one lucky cat," the man said, obviously amused by the obstacle Ginny was faced with.

She took a few more steps before she came to some more tiles, the wall of spikes still safely at some distance. The next box was the house elf and she felt her heart racing as she stepped on one of the tiles. At first, she thought she chose the right one, but as soon as her foot left the tile the house elf exploded.

Ginny let out a gasp at the horrid scene she just saw and quickly wiped away a few tears that fell.

"You're a sick fuck, what's wrong with you?" she spat.

"A lot actually, ANYWAY, I saved the best for last," he said, practically jumping up and down with excitement. "Believe me, Ginny, this one you're going to love," he said, as he waved his wand once more and uncovered the last big box.

Ginny's legs suddenly failed her as she saw her brother Ron chained up in the last box, his mouth covered and his head bleeding.

"RON!" she cried out as she went to run over to him.

"NOT, so fast...remember...choose wisely," he said, pointing to the tiles.

"PLEASE LET HIM GO, HE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF THIS! " She screamed out.

"You see, Ginny, that's just it, the focus has been on you, Draco and Harry, but I just wanted to remind you that NOBODY is safe...nobody. I will admit I would have LOVED to have Draco in that box, but I JUST COULDN'T GET HIM IN THOSE FUCKIN WARDS!" he yelled. "But no worries, no worries...we'll get him. Now, back to the show," he said, waving his hand for her to continue.

She locked eyes with Ron across the room; her heart sank at the sight of him. She watched the spiked wall get closer to her, but she was too scared to take a step. She shook her head as the fear of possibly being responsible for killing her brother consumed her.

"Please don't make me do this," she begged through her tears.

"Damn, I wish I didn't have to, BUT you don't know how to fuckin listen." he shrugged. "If you choose the right one, I'll let him go...I promise," he said with a smile.

The wall was moving closer and closer, and at one point she felt one of the spikes poke at the back of her leg, causing her to wince in pain.

"Better hurry,"

She locked eyes with Ron once more, who gave her a nod that he trusted her to save his life. She went to take a step and quickly stopped and reconsidered where she was stepping. She let out an angry growl as the panic set in and the wall was poking her closer and closer. She couldn't move anymore unless she chose a tile and she suddenly froze with fear. The only thing that snapped her out of her petrified state was the feel of one of the spikes piercing the back of her thigh as she let out a painful scream.

She let out another scream of frustration and fear as she finally stepped on one of the tiles and covered her ears and shut her eyes as she awaited the outcome. She slowly peeked her eyes open to see that Ron was fine. The walls around her disappeared suddenly and the man grabbed her roughly by the hair and started dragging her across the room.

"Where's Ron?" she managed to ask through the pain of trying to stand on her leg.

"I let him go as I promised, don't worry, I'm going to let you go also, but first...I want to show you something," he said, his voice filled with anger this time.

He continued to drag her by her hair into another dark room and threw her to the floor. She grabbed her leg in pain and felt her pants start to become soaked with blood where the spike pierced her thigh.

"Stay put," he ordered her.

She went to try and stand up and she suddenly felt his fist hit her face.

"I TOLD YOU TO STAY FUCKIN PUT!" he yelled at her.

He grabbed her face so roughly that she felt her teeth cutting into the sides of her cheeks. "Take a look around you," he said, before grabbing her by her hair and pulling her into a kneeling position.

Ginny looked around the dark room, she couldn't tell what kind of room it was, just that there were other people in it...A LOT of people. She saw they all had black masks on also and she saw him shoot a Lumos spell into the air and her breath caught in her throat at what she saw. There were hundreds of people there, all of them following the man who had a tight grip on her.

"Just think, Ginny, one of these people...even me, could be the person that killed your baby, the one who killed Astoria...Blaise...all these people are responsible for all the heartache and pain you've had to endure."

Ginny knew there must have been a lot of people that were behind all of this, but she didn't realize just how many people were involved.

"You've been brushing up on your charms and spells have you now?" he asked her.

She just looked at him and he kicked her hard in the ribs. "ANSWER ME!"

"Y-y-yes," she choked out.

He grabbed her face tightly again, "Why don't you listen, Ginny? Now that you see what you're up against are you going to have a problem following directions?"

Ginny was fuming; she wanted to blast this guy into oblivion.

He grabbed her up to him and dug his finger into the wound on the back of her thigh making her scream out into the dark room.

"Are you going to have a problem following directions?" he asked again.

"NO!" she screamed out.

"Good, very good. Now there's no way I can send you home looking like this so I'll let you run off and tell whoever you want about this whole ordeal. I'm really a nice guy Ginny; honestly, I am, as long as you just do as you're told we'll be best buds."

He pulled out her wand and handed it to her, "Now keep practicing...because when we do finally have our showdown and believe me we will, I will expect a proper duel from you, Miss Weasley," he said with an evil laugh before she felt herself being apparated somewhere.

She fell to the ground and saw she was on the sidewalk right outside of the Ministry and she quickly scrambled to her feet and dragged herself inside. She had people coming up to her and asking her if she was alright, but all she wanted right now was to get to Harry. She spit a mouthful of blood out into her shirt as she stepped out of the elevator and limped down the hall as fast as she could. She was shaking with a mixture of anger, shock, and adrenaline as she made her way towards his office. She saw Will standing outside of his office talking to someone and he quickly was by her side in an instant.

"Ginny, what happened?"

She just pushed past him and ignored his question and she finally threw the door open to Harry's office.

"HARRY!" she yelled out to him.

"Ginny? GINNY?" he had her in his arms before her name fully left his mouth.

She pulled away and quickly made her way to his office door and closed it before turning back to him. "I was there," she whispered.

"Where?" he asked her, guiding her to a chair to sit down and starting looking at her injuries. "What happened? Wh-"

"HARRY!" she yelled out, grabbing his face with both hands and making him look at her. "I was with them...these people...they put me in this room and Ron...WAIT, WHERE'S RON?"

"Ginny, how did you-"

"They tried to have me kill Ron, I-...Harry, there are so many of them...a lot...hundreds, they-"

"Ginny, calm down...look at me," he said, brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I'm going to find Ron, let me take you down to the medical wing first, ok?"

He went to stand up and she grabbed his arm firmly and pulled him back down to her. "Harry...They. Are. Everywhere." she emphasized through clenched teeth. "You can't trust anybody."

He nodded that he understood and then helped her up and took her down to the medical wing. As soon as they entered the medical department Ginny saw Ron was already there with her dad.

"RON!" she yelled out before throwing her arms around him.

"Gin, are you ok? They dropped me off right outside and I saw dad."

She just nodded before wrapping him up in a tight hug again. Ron told them how he was on his way to see George and Percy at the joke shop when he woke up in that box. Ginny then told them what happened to her and everything the man told her while she was there. She even told Harry about the second letter she received after the first one she gave him.

Mrs. Weasley soon showed up and caused a very emotional scene and finally took Ron back home with her after he had his head stitched up. She wanted to stay with Ginny but Harry assured her he would bring her home after a few more healing spells.

Harry came walking over with a glass of water for her and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

She looked at him, her face covered in defeat. "I don't want to be scared, I REFUSE to be scared, I want to fight."

"Gin-"

"PLEASE, please do not tell me some bullshit to shut me up...I'm done, I'm done living like this. What about the number of followers this guy has? We don't stand a chance."

He just looked at her and then took her hand in his. "I promise you, I'm more prepared for this than you think. When the time comes and I finally find out where they are...we'll be ready, it will be one hell of a fight, but we WILL be ready."

She just stared at him, what exactly did he mean? Was Harry working more on this case than she ever thought?

"Oh, look who it is," Harry said suddenly with a smirk.

Ginny turned to see Draco walking towards her.

Harry leaned down next to her ear. "I summoned your boyfriend for you," he teased as she slapped him hard on the arm.

She watched Harry tell Draco what happened which she was thankful for so she didn't have to repeat the horrible ordeal again. She watched Harry leave the room and Draco finally made his way over to her and took a seat on the bed. She just looked at him and he didn't say anything, he just looked back at her.

"What?" she asked.

He just shook his head, "Nothing, I'd ask if you're alright, but..."

"Physically...I'll be fine...Draco, I don't think you should leave the Manor anymore, I was snatched right outside of your wards...you need to be careful."

He just stared at her; the fact that she was grabbed by these people right outside of his home was unsettling.

"Hold out your hand," he said suddenly.

She just looked at him. "Why?"

He grabbed her hand and turned it so her palm was facing up and he pointed his wand at the center of it. She heard him say some sort of incantation in some other language and then felt a cooling sensation throughout her body. It soon faded and she looked at him once more.

"What was that?"

"THAT...was so you can apparate inside our wards and inside the Manor, it's too dangerous for you to apparate outside of them anymore...I want you to be safe and...I trust you."

She bit her lip to try and hide the smile that formed on her face, but she couldn't help it.

"Are you sure your parents are ok with that?" she asked.

"Yeah, they probably like you more than they do me," he said with a smirk. "Anyway, I think Potter is waiting to bring you home, I'm just glad you're alright." he said before giving her hand a light squeeze before letting it go.

Draco got up and headed back into the hallway and saw Harry making his way back. "Was she able to tell you anything about the place she was at?" Draco stopped to ask him.

"No, she just said it was dark and there were hundreds of people there," he said with a sigh.

"Damn...well at least she and Weaslebee are ok."

"I guess let me get her home," Harry said, getting ready to walk back into the medical wing.

"Oh, Potter, I have some more sleeping draught if you need it."

"Sleeping draught?" Harry asked him with a raised eyebrow. "Why would I need that?"

"Ginny asked me for some for you because you were having trouble sleeping."

"I hate to tell you this, Draco, but I'm sleeping fine...well fine enough. I know she's been having nightmares, but I didn't think they were so bad that she had to seek out sleeping draught."

Draco thought about confronting her, but he decided she had been through enough today and right now sleeping draught seemed like the best thing for her.

"Guess I'll head back," he said as he gave one last look across the room at Ginny.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day Mrs. Weasley wanted to have a family dinner to try and lighten everyone's mood after everything that went down. Ginny barely slept at all because of another nightmare and fell asleep on the chair near her window after the one she had last night. She ended up sleeping most of the day to catch up on some sleep before dinner tonight and had just stepped out of the shower and got dressed as everyone starting arriving.

"Knock, knock," Harry said from the doorway of her bedroom.

"I guess I'll let you in." she teased.

"So, listen would you be weirded out if Pansy joined us tonight?" he asked.

She couldn't help but smile at his question. "Absolutely not, so it's that serious, huh?" she asked, nudging him with her elbow.

"Actually, I thought as a FRIEND to her, she might enjoy being around some decent people and not alone like always."

"You think we're decent people?" she laughed.

"More decent than the people I normally hang around." came Pansy's voice from behind Harry.

Ginny watched the way she greeted Harry, she just sort of grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him to her for a quick kiss. Ginny couldn't help but smirk at the gesture and then released a small giggle when she saw Pansy run her hand wildly through his hair real quick to purposely mess it up.

Ginny couldn't help but be amused at how handsy Pansy was and she knew Harry wasn't used to that.

"I, uh-I think dinner is ready...excuse me," he said, clearing his throat and quickly making his way downstairs.

As soon as he left Pansy turned to Ginny and they both laughed. "I love making him feel uncomfortable," Pansy said before she walked into Ginny's bedroom. "Huh, so this is the youngest Weasley's room?" she said, before plopping down on her bed.

"Yep, this is it," Ginny said as she tried her hardest not to stare Pansy up and down. "So...you and Harry, huh? That's unexpected...he doesn't really seem like the type of guy you'd be into."

Pansy just stared at her with a giant smirk. "Oh, you mean because of my infatuation with Draco? Well, you know things change...people change. The next thing you know you're married to a Mudblood and having his baby." she said, her smirk turned into a genuine smile as she seemed to get lost in her thoughts.

"You married a Muggle? That's..."

"Pretty hilarious, right?" Pansy finished her sentence. She pulled out a picture from her back pocket and showed Ginny, it was of her and her husband and their son. "His name was Jacob, and that mess of a man was Jonathan, fuck I loved him. He won my heart when he tried to have me arrested one day." she laughed.

Ginny looked at her for an explanation.

"It's a long story, but yeah, bet you never thought Pansy Parkinson would fall in love with a wanker like that, but this little boy though...I miss him so much,"

Ginny wasn't sure what to say or what to do, she hasn't seen Pansy in years and barely said a whole sentence to her the last two times they saw each other. Now here she was openly sharing pictures of her family with her.

"I'm sorry to hear about what happened to them," she said softly.

"Ok, this is the weirdest thing I've ever walked in on," Draco said from the doorway as he saw Pansy sitting on Ginny's bed.

"DRAKEY POO!" Pansy yelled out as she jumped off the bed and pulled him into a hug. "It's been a long time," she whispered in his ear before placing a kiss on his earlobe.

"YEESH, I really don't miss you," he said, pushing her away from him.

"Calm down, haven't you heard...I'm into Gryffindors now...well, the Gryffindor is in me really," she said with a smirk.

"Ok, gross, why don't you go find him," he said, leading her out of the bedroom.

Ginny just shook her head as she heard Pansy's maniacal laugh as she headed downstairs. "She's a trip," she laughed.

"Well, she's Harry's problem now."

"So strange having you and Pansy here at the Burrow, all that's missing now is Voldemor-" she was cut off when he grabbed a pillow off her bed and threw it at her. "I'm just kidding, I didn't realize you were coming...what a pleasant surprise," she said with a smirk.

"My parents went into a panic when your mum sent a letter saying it was a FAMILY dinner and invited us."

"Aww, how sweet, the Weasleys and the Malfoys, one big happy family,"

They both laughed and then became quiet for a few moments before Draco went into his pocket and pulled out two vials.

"Here is that sleeping draught, I was going to give them to Harry, but being that he doesn't need it and they are really for you...I thought I'd just hand deliver them to you myself," he said looking at her.

She looked away from him. "I'm sorry I lied-"

"Why though? Why didn't you just tell me you were having nightmares? I went through the same-"

"BECAUSE IT'S MORE THAN THAT!" she yelled out. "It's...I can feel...everything, it's like I'm reliving the entire attack all over again every night. I can't take it anymore, I can't sleep, I-"

He grabbed her into a hug when he heard her voice start to crack with emotion. "Just don't lie to me, there's no reason for it, I'll help you through whatever you need as best as I can." he took her hand and placed the vials in it. "Sleeping draught is only a temporary fix...you don't want to become reliant on it."

She gave him a quick nod.

"I'll meet you downstairs," he said before he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and left her bedroom.

As soon as Draco left the room there was a tap on her window and she turned to see the same black raven that had delivered the last letter. She felt her heart sink and contemplated ignoring it altogether, but as she started walking away, she remembered the horrid consequence she had to endure the last time she went against what the letter asked of her.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and opened the window and grabbed the letter.

Miss Weasley,

You know how this works...need I remind you what happens if you choose not to follow...

Put an end to the relationship between Harry and Pansy.

Do this and I'll make those realistic nightmares go away.

Ginny was angry, was it these people who were making her suffer through these nightmares? She knew something was different about how real they felt and the thought of them finally going away was a huge relief. She heard Pansy's laugh from downstairs and she walked into the hallway and peeked over the stairwell to see her and Harry standing at the bottom. They were both laughing about something she couldn't make out and she watched Harry for a few moments. She smiled to herself when she saw the smile on his face never fade as he got lost in conversation with Pansy. Seeing Harry happy right now meant more than anything, especially after what he did for her.

She looked at the letter in her hand and then took one last glance down at the two of them and she ripped the letter in half. She knew what she was giving up and she knew there would be another punishment of some sort, but she wouldn't jeopardize Harry's happiness for anything. She threw the letter in the trash can in her bedroom and made her way downstairs to dinner.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Miss Weasley? I wasn't expecting you today," Narcissa said, as she opened the door for Ginny to come inside.

"I know, do you think we could practice for a bit? I need to get my mind off of some things," she asked, her eyes pleading for her to say yes.

"I suppose for a little while, what things are you trying to get off your mind?" she asked as she led the way downstairs to the arena.

"Just nightmares and stuff," she mumbled.

"And stuff?"

"Can you teach me some sort of wandless magic?" She suddenly asked.

Narcissa just looked at her, "What makes you think I know that much about wandless magic?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I've seen you do it when the wards were disabled...when you started conjuring those attacking orbs," she said, reminding Narcissa of the event.

She was quiet for a minute. "Ginny, wandless magic is...very advanced and I don't think-"

"Please, I'm begging at this point. It doesn't have to be anything crazy, I just want to be able to get myself out of a situation when I don't have my wand and I'm left defenseless." she pleaded again.

Narcissa gave her a sad look and then nodded in agreement.

"Well, you will have to start out with your wand, see there are so many different ways to make it seem like you are doing wandless magic when in fact you're just finding a way around it. For example, there is a spell where you can retain a magical energy for a short period of time and then release it when desired. Although there is a spell for it, you would still need to learn how to release the energy when you need to. It's very hard on the physical body and can be very draining so you have to be smart when using it."

Ginny nodded that she understood, she took in every single word she spoke so she didn't miss a thing.

"There is also a potion you can drink that does a similar thing with storing magical energy, but the most advanced type of wandless magic requires you to use the energy around you. This could be anything such as physical energy from you or your enemy and energy from your surroundings, especially if there are other spells and charms around you," she explained.

"Show me," Ginny said anxiously.

"Throw an Incendio spell at me"

Ginny nodded and raised her wand, "INCENDIO!" she yelled out.

The fiery spell shot out of her wand and flew right at Narcissa, who caught it with her hands and then pushed her hands together and extinguished the flames.

"That was...amazing," Ginny said with a wide smile.

Narcissa just gave her a smirk, "You're not going to think so in a moment," she said, as she opened her hands back up and there was just a clear orb-like object in her hand that she suddenly threw at Ginny.

Ginny flew backward and fell to the floor; a warm sensation ran through her body.

"Shit, what was that?" she asked, as she pulled herself back up.

"That was the Incendio spell that I threw back at you, I extinguished the flame so I wouldn't harm you, but normally you would just be able to throw the spell back in its original form."

"I want to try, throw a spell at me," Ginny said, getting ready for whatever Narcissa was about to throw at her.

"It doesn't work like that, Ginny; you need to be aware of what is going on around you a lot more than you are right now."

"I AM AWARE! NOW THROW A SPELL!" she yelled.

"Gin-"

"DO IT!"

Narcissa flicked her wand and Ginny flew backward. She let out a growl of frustration and then picked herself back up.

"Again, do it again," she said, taking her stance once more.

"No" Narcissa simply said.

"Why? You don't think I can do it?" Ginny asked with a snarl.

Narcissa just watched her for a moment; she could tell something was wrong, especially with how Ginny was acting suddenly.

"Ginny, what is going on? You know, I tried to show Draco wandless magic after everything that happened and he practiced for months and still has not been able to execute it."

"Well, I'm not Draco," she spat.

Narcissa just looked at her, "Why do you feel the need to master this in one day?"

Ginny just started pacing back and forth before she stopped and ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Malfoy, I just...I NEED to be able to perform magic whenever wherever...I need to be ready for anything." Ginny said as she thought about the letter she received and how she knew there was a consequence waiting for her.

"What's going on, Ginny? Well, besides the obvious?"

"I...I can't say"

"Draco told me about what happened with your brother, would this happen to be something in relation to that?"

She remained silent.

"There is no way you will learn wandless magic anytime soon I'm afraid, the potion that I spoke about earlier takes at least a month to brew and even with the spell I told you about you would still need to learn the technique. There is no easy answer when it comes to that type of magic; however, I think you just need to be smart about how you currently use it. There are spells and things you can do to make sure you aren't always defenseless."

"Would you be willing to show me some?" Ginny asked.

"Of course"

Narcissa showed her a few different strategic spells like replicating her wand and how to cast a full body Protego charm.

"The full body Protego charm will sort of act like your own personal ward around your body. It's invisible like a regular ward and could only be noticed if you are being attacked. The charm only lasts for a few minutes, but it is incredibly handy and could potentially be life-saving."

As Narcissa was speaking, she could see Ginny losing her focus once more. "Let's wrap this up for today, Ginny."

Ginny just gave a small nod.

"Just think about everything you already know and find new ways to use those spells. You have to be inventive. That is how I learned a lot, all the charm work I've mastered has come from just finding new and strategic ways to use all the magic I know. Try focusing on that for now and see where that gets you...ok?"

She nodded once more, "Thanks, Mrs. Malfoy, I guess I'll say a quick hello to Draco before I leave." she said, making her way to the door.

"Draco isn't here right now."

"Oh, where is he?" Ginny asked.

"The Ministry sent a letter that required him to come in for questioning about that Gregory Pines case," Narcissa said with a light sigh.

"Pines? But I thought that was all over with? Harry said it was taken care of." Ginny said, more to herself than anything.

She looked at Narcissa's face and saw she was concerned about the same thing Ginny was. Why wasn't she called in for questioning? She had to talk to Harry and find out what was going on.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny was getting ready to walk into the Ministry to find out what exactly was going on. Why did this Pines case keep coming up? Every day it was something new or another problem arises and she was done with the whole thing.

She was walking towards the door when she suddenly stopped and saw a man with that black face mask on standing in her path looking at her. She took off suddenly as fast as she could to try and get to a different entrance into the Ministry. Her heart was racing and she slid her hand into her pocket around her wand and mumbled the replication spell that Narcissa just showed her, but that was all she could suddenly remember.

She was running so fast and concentrating on the new spell Narcissa had shown her that she didn't notice a man with a mask suddenly step out in front of her. She didn't know how she managed to skid to a stop so fast and turned around and went to run a different way, but as soon as she turned around she slammed right into another man. He roughly grabbed her arms tightly and she refused to go easily. She hardly had a chance to squirm free or anything before she felt that tug behind her navel and everything went dark.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in complete darkness; she couldn't even make out her hand in front of her. She went to take a step, but she hit something hard in front of her and soon realized she was in some kind of box that was all around her. She could tell someone else was here with her and she felt her stomach twist into knots as she awaited whatever punishment she was about to endure.

The lights suddenly went on and she turned to see who was there with her and she was shocked when she saw Draco next her in the same kind of box.

"GINNY! Are you ok?" he asked her as he ran up to the thick clear wall between them.

For some reason, Ginny was finding it hard to speak, knowing that Draco was here with her only meant that there was something horrid to come.

"GINNY!" he yelled out to her again and he pounded on the wall with his fists.

"I'm-I'm fine...are you?" she asked, taking a small step towards the wall and placing one of her hands on it where his was.

He nodded.

"Now that you both are here, we can get started," came a voice from the darkness.

Ginny saw the man walk into the light, he had the black mask on, but she could tell it was the same guy from the last punishment she went through.

"Ginny, Ginny, Ginny, you know, if only you would just do what I ask, you could have avoided all of this. I will admit though, having you be defiant and do whatever you want is so much more fun, so I'm rather enjoying it," he said in amusement.

"FUCK YOU, WHAT KIND OF SICK TWISTED FUCK ARE YOU?" Draco yelled. "YOU AND YOUR PRETEND DO GOODERS ARE GOING AROUND KILLING EX-DEATH EATERS THINKING YOU'RE DOING THE WORLD A FAVOR WHEN IN FACT YOU'RE JUST LIKE THEM...PROBABLY WORSE. KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE, WOMAN AND CHILDREN, WHAT KIND OF GOOD IS THAT?" he yelled out with such anger.

Ginny didn't think she had ever seen Draco so angry, she wanted so bad to console him.

The man just started laughing, "Oh, Draco, you know it's been so long since I've seen you in such an intimate setting. I have you all to myself and I can do literally ANYTHING to you that I want," he said, walking up to the box. "I just want you to know, that it was me personally who slit your fiance's throat that night. I'm not going to lie, she had such soft silky skin, I mean my blade...cut right through with no problem," he said with a wide grin.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT, I'LL FUCKIN KILL YOU!" Draco screamed as he pounded his fists hard on the wall of the box with everything in him until they bled.

Ginny had her hands over her mouth in shock at the words the man spoke. She watched Draco's anger rise to a level she didn't think existed as his face turned almost purple with hatred and a sneer like nothing she's ever seen before was covering his face.

"You know you should really be thanking me, I mean, if it wasn't for that you never would have hit things off with our girl Ginny here," he said with an evil grin.

Ginny watched Draco turn to her, she just shook her head at him, but she was surprised when she saw his face soften a bit as he locked eyes with her.

"ALRIGHT, now for the main event." the man said as he clapped his hands together and rubbed them excitedly. "As you can see there is a button in each of your boxes,"

They both looked around the box to better take in what was around them, Ginny noticed at the bottom of each box was what looked like a drain.

"The rule is simple, one of you has to die, so who will gladly take that fate today? If neither of you pushes the button I will kill you both, just so we are clear."

Ginny and Draco looked at each other and they both at the same time jumped towards the button to push it before the other could, but it was Draco who got to his first. As soon as he hit it, water started filling his box from the floor.

"NO! DRACO, PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO ME! DRACOOO!" she cried out to him as she slammed her hands on the wall of the box.

She kept hitting her button over and over to see if anything would change or stop the water, but it just continued to rise. She placed her forehead against the wall when she realized she was out of ideas and Draco leaned his forehead against the wall where hers was.

She suddenly remembered her replication spell and sure enough, they had taken the replicated wand from her so she still had her original concealed. She quickly pulled it out and started shooting spells at the wall, but nothing was working.

"What's this? Oh, wow, Ginny Weasley pulled a fast one on me did she?" the man said as he saw her pull out her wand. "You know, I really admire that kind of slickness so I'll tell you what, if you can find a spell that will get you both out...I'll let you go free today, unharmed," he said with an evil grin.

Ginny looked at the water rising around Draco, it was up to his waist now and she started to panic. "I'm going to get you out," she cried, as a tear slid down her cheek.

He just gave her a silent nod as he prepared himself for the worst. She could tell he didn't think he would be making it out of that box which made her try that much harder.

She shot so many different spells at the box, one of them ricocheting off of the wall and hitting her. She flew hard against the other wall of the box and let out a growl of pain as she slid to the floor.

"GINNY!" she heard Draco yell out.

She glanced over at him and saw the water was now up to his neck and his feet weren't touching the floor anymore. She noticed he barely had any room left in that box until it reached the top. Her eyes traveled from the top of his box to the floor and then over to hers and she realized the floor wasn't made of the same material that the walls were.

She gripped her wand tightly and pointed it at the drain on the bottom of the box. She put up a Protego charm as best she could in the small box and then shot out a Bombarda spell that exploded the floor of the box. Ginny was slammed hard against the wall again as her Protego charm only held up partially from the explosive spell. She heard a ringing in her ears as she blinked a few times to find through the disoriented feeling. She looked over at Draco and saw he had just taken his last gulp of air before the box was completely full of water.

She fought through the pain and crawled through the opening in the floor and out from under the other side of the wall. She was standing face to face with the man, a slight sneer on his face at her successful escape.

"Let him out, you said you would If I made it out," she said through clenched teeth.

"No, I said if you get BOTH of you out," he said with a smirk as he stepped aside and gestured with his hand for her to try and free Draco.

She watched Draco's face and could tell he was about to pass out from lack of oxygen and she was scared she was going to lose him. She quickly did the same spell at the ground outside of the box he was in and although it blew a few chunks of the ground away, she was going to have to do a few more to get through to him. She was completely panicking at this point as all movement in Draco's box stopped and she pointed her wand at the ground at a different attempt to get him out.

She had so much hatred for the man beside her and wanted to kill him so bad, but her focus was on Draco. "REDUCTO!" she screamed out.

As soon as the spell hit the floor she could see the water starting to spill out of the box and then she suddenly felt herself being apparated out of there.

She fell to the ground of some wooded area where the man dropped her off and she saw Draco lying a few feet from her unresponsive. She scrambled over to him with her wand and tried shaking him awake.

"DRACO! WAKE UP!" she screamed out in a panic.

She grabbed her wand and pointed it at his chest. "RENNERVATE!"

She just watched his body jump lightly, but he still wasn't breathing.

"DRACO, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" she screamed out to him, as she pointed her wand at him once more and cast another reviving spell.

After no change, she started her own mouth to mouth in another attempt to make him start breathing again.

"DRACOOO! DAMMIT! WAKE UP!" she screamed at him.

She suddenly remembered she was able to apparate right into the Manor and she wasted no time grabbing him and apparating to Malfoy Manor, as she was landing she was already screaming for Narcissa.

"NARCISSA, PLEASE HELP HIM!" she cried out as she came running over to her.

"Draco? DRACO!" she screamed out as she grabbed his lifeless body to her.

She quickly waved her wand over his body and Ginny saw him lift a little bit off the ground and sort of just float there.

"What are you doing to him?"

"She's is using a time-freezing spell on him." came Lucius' voice from beside her as he watched with worry. "It will keep any damage from being done to him while he is unconscious and without air, it's a very temporary spell so she needs to word fast."

Ginny just watched Narcissa attempt to save her son's life, she noticed Narcissa's wand hand shaking as she tried to cast a spell. Ginny had never seen Narcissa like this before, she was scared and she couldn't focus.

Lucius gently grabbed the wrist of her wand hand and gave her a reassuring nod to remind her that their son needed them right now and she needed to pull herself together. Narcissa quickly wiped a stray tear away and in a matter of seconds conjured up a tiny blue ball of something that landed on Draco's chest and absorbed into his body.

"What's that?" Ginny asked through her shaky breathing.

"It will absorb any water in his lungs and help boost him awake when she attempts to revive him again," Lucius explained.

Narcissa pointed her wand at his chest once more. "Rennervate," she said.

Draco's body suddenly fell the few inches to the floor and he started coughing up water and gasped for air as his eyes snapped open.

Ginny's legs gave out as relief filled her when she saw he was alive and then watched his head fall to the side as his eyes started to close again. She watched him look right at her as he fell unconscious once more.

"Is he going to be ok?" Ginny asked.

Narcissa nodded. "He just needs to rest," she said, her voice cracking as she was overwhelmed with relief.

Ginny got to her feet and quickly excused herself into another room. She sat down on the couch and buried her face in her hands and just cried. She leaned back against the couch and just thought about the life she was stuck in right now. How did it all get to this point? She knew, but when she thought about how her life was now and what it was like only a few months ago she had a hard time accepting it.

Her thoughts went back to Draco's lifeless body and how she almost lost him. It made her think about the night she was almost killed and how Harry must have felt. Watching the person you love almost die was nerve-wracking, and between Draco and almost Ron the other day she didn't know how much more she could take. Then to top it off, she was having these unbearable nightmares; her head was getting ready to explode from everything. All she knew was that she felt herself getting ready to snap and that was the one thing she couldn't do right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think of these new developments? The party at the Manor will be in the next chapter for anyone waiting for that =D PLEASE REVIEW GUYS! YOUR REVIEWS KEEP ME GOING AND I LOVE HEARING WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE TO SAY!
> 
> Also please don't forget to join my Facebook group again the link is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took longer to post, it does pick up where the last one left off.
> 
> If you guys haven't joined my Facebook group yet here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/
> 
> I will continue to keep you guys posted on the status of my chapters and post previews of the upcoming chapters on there. Also, feel free to post anything about any of my fics or just message me if you want to chat about the story!
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this one.

"Gin?"

Ginny opened her eyes and saw she was in the living room at the Manor and realized she must have fallen asleep on the couch. She turned her head to see Harry sitting beside her and she grabbed him into a tight hug.

"Are you ok?" he softly asked her.

She nodded against him before she let out a muffled cry. "Is Draco awake yet?"

"No, he's still out...listen to me; I want you to tell me whenever you get those letters-"

"I can't, if I do, they know and then somehow and someway somebody gets hurt...I won't do that."

"What is he asking you to do?" Harry asked.

She just looked at him and shook her head. "It doesn't matter now, I've already dealt with the consequence," she said, looking away from him.

He didn't say anything; he wasn't really sure what else to say to her.

She suddenly snapped her head back to him. "Harry, I'm tired of being scared...not for me, but for everyone I care about. I could care less at this point if I die, but I CAN'T live like this anymore. Being put in positions where I need to choose who lives and who dies? Harry, please, PLEASE tell me something, ANYTHING that will make me feel like we have even the slightest of chances of going up against these guys."

"Ginny-"

"No, please don't tell me some vague shit again about how you're more prepared than I think, that doesn't tell me anything," she said angrily. "I need some proof or something or...or-"

"I have something for you," he said, cutting her off. "Hermione has been working on this for a while now for me," he said, pulling out a thin silver necklace with a round flat coin looking charm on it.

He leaned forward and put it over her head and pulled her hair through. "This necklace is charmed so that if you are ever in danger you just grab the coin between your fingers...and help will come. If the chain is even broken, help will still come...I promise."

"So... you have something like this too...so you know when I'm in trouble?" she asked, playing with the charm on her necklace.

He pulled out a small coin in his pocket that was the exact same one on her chain. "Yes, and I have one for Draco now too, at first we made these for our meetings and whenever we were in trouble, but ever since the Hogsmeade attack I've been having Hermione work on them, they take a while to make."

"Meetings? Who exactly is "we", more than Hermione and Ron I take it?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Harry, why are Draco and I the last to know everything? Especially when we are the ones who seem to be the focus of these people lately? You're having secret fuckin meetings and we aren't a part of them? Why?"

"Because I don't trust you,"

"WHAT?" she yelled.

"Not like that Gin, what I mean is, you know as well as I do that these people have been finding out things when there is no possible way they could have found out. It's possible someone is using Legilimency or something on you. I don't want to take a chance and reveal anything to you...do you understand?" he asked, giving her a sad look.

Normally Ginny would be fuming over Harry not revealing something like this to her, but she completely agreed with him. She remembered Will suggesting this a few weeks ago when he offered to teach her Occlumency.

"Can you teach me Occlumency?" she asked him.

"Me? No, I'm probably the last person that could successfully teach you that, I barely learned it myself."

"Well, Will offered a few weeks ago when he thought this might be an issue?" she suggested.

"No, I don't want him messing with your mind," he said firmly.

Narcissa had entered the room and placed a tray down on the coffee table in front of Harry and Ginny. "You should eat something," she said, gesturing to the tray.

"Thanks," Ginny mumbled before grabbing a cracker off of the plate. "Is Draco awake?"

Narcissa just shook her head.

"Mrs. Malfoy...are you any good at Occlumency?" Harry asked her.

"Yes, we all are," she said.

"So, Draco is an Occlumens?" Harry asked, surprised by this information as was Ginny.

"None of us are really gifted with Legilimency, but Occlumency we made sure to master during Voldemort's time, especially with working so... closely with him," she explained, clearing her throat.

Harry and Ginny just looked at each other.

"Do you think one of you would be willing to give Ginny a few lessons?" he asked.

Narcissa looked away from them as she seemed bothered by the question. "I'll think about it...excuse me," she said, before getting up and making an abrupt exit.

"What was that about?" Harry asked, turning to Ginny.

Ginny just watched Narcissa's retreating form down the hallway and she gave a light sigh. "I'll be right back," she said before getting up and following Narcissa.

She found her in the garden and made her way outside, she could tell she was emotional and almost decided to turn back around and leave her be.

"I'm sorry, Ginny, I know you need help I just...I need a minute," she choked out through the sobs that started to surface.

After realizing Narcissa already knew she was present she walked over and sat beside her. "I'm sorry," she said.

Narcissa wiped her tears and turned to the redhead beside her. "For what?"

"I feel like ever since I started hanging out with Draco, his life has been in more danger than before," she said, her gaze at the ground as feelings of guilt set in.

"That's absurd, do you realize how much more danger YOU are in ever since you started hanging out with MY son?"

Ginny turned to look at her as tears stung her eyes. "He almost died," she said in a small voice as a single tear slid down her cheek.

Narcissa wiped the stray tear away and cupped her chin to look at her. "But he didn't, I will make sure we work with you on your Occlumency," she said in a serious tone, her expression turning back into the Narcissa Malfoy she knew her to be. "Why don't you go check on Draco," she said with a nod towards the door.

"Draco?"

He slowly opened his eyes and could barely make anything out through his blurred vision.

"Draco? You've been out for a while now, you really should get up."

He finally blinked through his fuzzy sight and he was greeted with nothing but white all around him. He sat up in his bed and looked all around and saw nobody. He got out of bed and took a few steps.

"Hello?"

"Draco? Right here silly, come sit down,"

His head snapped over to a grand piano a few feet away and he saw someone sitting on the bench patting the spot beside her for him to sit.

"Astoria?" he whispered out as he walked closer to her.

As he walked closer and was right in front of her he stopped, he wanted to grab her and kiss her face but he was confused. Instead, he just sat next to her and turned to face her where she greeted him with a bright smile.

"You look a bit different," he said, taking in her beauty.

She smiled, "Well, it's been over two years since I've seen you, Draco."

"Two years...yeah," he mumbled, looking away from her as he thought back to that tragic day.

His eyes snapped back over to her when he heard some light babbling beside him. He was so focused on Astoria that he hadn't noticed the baby she had on her lap, which looked to be about two years old. He could tell right away it was Ginny and Harry's daughter by the color of her eyes and the copper hair that dangled around her cheeks. He couldn't help but smile at the tiny child as she started hitting the keys on the piano.

"Am I dead?" he asked.

"No silly, you're just dreaming, but it has been a while since you've dreamed of me in such a way...it's always of that night," she said with a sad expression.

He looked up at her, her eyes firmly on his. "I miss you...a lot."

"I know, I miss you too, Draco."

He looked away from her and stared down at the piano.

"What is it, Draco? Is it Ginny?"

He didn't say anything.

"She is quite the young woman, very strong and full of everything that will keep you going," she said with a smile.

He still didn't say anything or look at her. He suddenly felt her hand on his face and turn him to look at her. The feel of her touch was overwhelming and her scent suddenly filled him and he instantly fell apart before her.

"It's quite alright to miss me, Draco, but it's more than ok for you to love Ginny," she said, placing her hand on his cheek.

She gently took Lily and handed her to Draco, who was unsure of whether to take her from her grasp. "Um..."

"Go on, hold her," Astoria said, pushing her into his arms the rest of the way.

"I shouldn't be allowed to hold babies," he said, as he nervously held the child at arm's length.

"See, everything always starts out uncertain, but when you finally allow things to happen and you accept it..." she said before she gently pushed Lily towards him so that he was holding her against him. "...then that uncertainty turns into just... certainty," she said with a bright smile.

Draco looked at the child in his hands as she grabbed a piece of his hair in her tiny fingers and looked at him. She gave out a loud babble that made him smirk before he realized his newfound comfort with holding the child in his arms.

"See how much happier you are already?" she said, as she reached forward and brushed his hair back. "I love you, Draco," she said, before gently leaning forward and placing a kiss on his lips.

Draco couldn't even begin to describe the feeling of kissing her again; he never wanted to wake up again if it meant leaving her.

"You really need to wake up now," she said with a smile.

"I don't want to."

"You have to, Ginny needs you, you can't leave her," she said firmly before taking Lily back from him. "Before you go, play me something, Draco," she said, as she nodded to the Piano.

He looked at her with a loving smile. "Of course,"

He placed his hands over the keys and just as he went to press down on one of them his eyes snapped open.

He realized he was in his bedroom and saw just the light of the fireplace filling the room. He turned his head to see Ginny curled up in a ball on the armchair beside his bed fast asleep. A smile instantly filled his face as he saw how beautiful she looked with the light of the flames dancing across her face and hair. He thought back to his dream and the baby he held...her baby. He brought his hand up to his hair where she had been playing with a few strands of it.

He sat up in bed and looked around again just to make sure it really was a dream. He glanced through a small opening in the curtains to see it was night time and then his eyes fell back on Ginny. How long did she sit beside him until he woke up? How long was he out? He looked at the clock and saw it was almost three in the morning. When his eyes went back to Ginny once more he was met with her amber gaze.

"You're awake," she said in a small voice, but a smile still forming.

He nodded at her comment, "I am," he said with a small smirk.

She got up and joined him on the bed in front of him. "How are you feeling?"

"Ok, I guess, a little off, but otherwise still the same Draco," he said. "Not really sure what happened after I blacked out... at that moment...I thought I was going to die."

"You almost did, your mum saved your life," she said, a feeling of guilt filling her when she wasn't able to do it herself. "Were you scared?"

He looked into her eyes, "I was scared that I would never see you again."

She bit her lip at his comment.

He kept staring at her and a sad expression filled his face when he thought back to his dream, it seemed more real than a regular dream. He could still smell Astoria's scent and Lily's hair when he held her. He wanted to tell Ginny how much she looked like her and Harry but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Knowing that he held her child so full of life and she didn't, made him feel guilty and he wished there was something he could do so she could have seen her.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

He just shook his head, "Nothing, just-just still out of it a bit I guess," he lied before he finally slipped out of bed.

He didn't realize how dizzy he was until he stood up and slowly fell to his knees as he held his head. Ginny tried to hold him up, but joined him at knee level when she couldn't hold him up any longer.

"You ok there, buddy?" she laughed. "You did just almost die, you can't just go walking around like nothing happened." she teased.

"Fuck, that was a shitty feeling; I think I'm ok now," he said.

He felt Ginny's hands on each side of his face as she looked into his eyes. "Are you sure you're ok?"

He didn't say anything; he was mesmerized by her honey brown eyes piercing into his. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers before he opened his eyes back up and saw her staring at him with a smile.

They both met each other's lips this time and it was slow and gentle, every movement of his lips on hers made her remember how she just almost lost him hours earlier. Her kisses against his lips started to slow down and stopped altogether when she started to cry.

He looked at her and she just shook her head in an apologetic way, but he knew why she was upset. He grabbed her to him and buried his face in her fiery mass of hair and held her tightly. Astoria was right...Ginny needed him and he needed her.

Over the next few days, Ginny had barely been able to sleep at night. She had gotten another letter that ordered her to get rid of all the sleeping draught Draco had been giving her. She was trying to catch up on some sleep during the day so she really hadn't been back to Draco's as much as she would have liked. Today was the first day she was going to attempt to learn Occlumency and she was a bit nervous.

"Alright, Ginny, I've never really been that experienced in Legilimency myself, but I know enough to attempt to enter your mind. You know the way this works I assume from Mr. Potter, so just empty your mind," Narcissa said with a small smile.

Ginny nodded and let out a nervous breath as she started thinking about all the personal stuff she didn't want Narcissa to see.

"Ready?"

"NO!" Ginny quickly said as she thought about all of her and Draco's intimate moments together.

"Stop thinking about everything you don't want me to see, just empty everything from your mind, especially of emotion." Narcissa reminded her.

Ginny nodded once more and let out another nervous breath as she started to think about how she should be thinking of nothing.

Narcissa pointed her wand at Ginny, "Legilimens"

She felt a sharp pain run through her head as Narcissa entered her mind, it was one of the most uncomfortable feelings she had ever experienced. She was very much aware that she was there with her in her head and she started to panic about what she was able to see. She begged her mind to not go to those intimate memories in fear of Narcissa seeing them. She thought about anything else but that...well she thought she did when she suddenly felt Narcissa break the spell.

Ginny immediately grabbed her head in pain as she pulled back.

"Just so you know, Ginny, thinking of what you don't want to be thinking about, is still thinking about it," Narcissa said with a bit of anger as she seemed to have seen something she didn't want to.

Ginny looked at the floor in embarrassment. "I don't know if I can do this," she mumbled.

"You can, you just have a million things running through your head and you're over thinking the entire thing," she said with a small smile. "So stop thinking about what happened the other night after Pristine Point," she said with a smirk.

Ginny just buried her face in her hands and let out a loud groan. "I CAN'T! THIS IS TOO WEIRD!" she shouted out, getting up and pacing the room.

"TILLY!" Narcissa yelled out.

A few moments later the small house elf appeared.

"Please tell Draco to come down here," she said. She turned to Ginny, who was lost in her own thoughts and walked over to her and gently put her hands on her shoulders. "Relax, I hardly saw anything, at this rate you will never learn Occlumency. You have too many different emotions and thoughts filling you, so A LOT of that will be visible to anyone who may actually be invading your mind."

"I KNOW! I'm trying, I really am," Ginny said, looking up at the blonde. "What should I do? How can I turn off my mind?" Ginny practically begged her for an answer.

Narcissa guided her by the shoulders towards the doorway where Draco had walked in. "I think you might be better off practicing with Draco for now, until you can learn to clear all that stuff out," she said with a small smile.

"What are we practicing exactly?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ginny here needs to attempt to learn some sort of Occlumency"

"And?"

"And you're going to try and teach her," Narcissa said in a firm tone.

"Don't you think you're better at that sort of thing?" he said to his mother.

"Why yes, I do, but being that Ginny here can't seem to stop thinking about your countless sex sessions I think it's best that you attempt this one...son," she said firmly with a smirk as Draco cleared his throat at the mere thought of his mother seeing such images.

She left the room and Ginny bit her lip as she looked back at Draco, "Sorry, I was just worried about her seeing that stuff and then she...well...seen that stuff,"

"So you're thinking about us fucking, huh?" he asked, ignoring the entire Occlumency lesson.

She just looked at him with a nervous smile, "Sorry, I-I don't know why-"

She just watched him walking up to her, his eyes locked on hers as she stumbled for words, he kept nodding as if he was listening as she tried to explain to him how she was trying to not think of that stuff but ended up thinking about it anyway.

"Yeah, so should...we...pr-practice?" she finally managed to get out as he had her backed up against the wall and his face was so close to hers she could feel his breath hit her.

She went to go speak, but he just pushed his lips against hers to stop her from rambling on. She felt him slide his hand behind her back and pull her to him and then kissed her harder until she was practically pinned against the wall by his lips. He slid his hand into her hair and gently grabbed the side of her face as he hungrily kissed her. Ginny was about to pounce on him when he suddenly broke the kiss and backed away altogether.

"We need to practice," he said with a smirk.

She was just standing there, her lips raw from his kisses and her hair a messy mass. Did he seriously just tease her like that? She wanted him so bad and she could tell he was enjoying the fact that he left her wanting more.

"Alright, let's get serious now, just think of like...a brick wall or something," he suggested, pointing his wand at her.

"A brick wall?" she mumbled. The only wall she was thinking about was the one he had just pinned her against moments ago and how she wanted him to bang her brains out against it.

"Legilimens"

She heard Draco say the spell and just thought of a brick wall like he suggested...and then she started thinking about having her brains banged out against that brick wall instead.

Draco lifted the spell and started laughing.

"YOU'RE A REAL DICK!" she snapped at him. "Look what you started," she said angrily.

"You're right, I'm sorry I got you all...riled up," he said with another few chuckles before he lifted his wand at her again.

She stared at him and the amused smile he still had on his face. She rather it be Draco that had seen any intimate moments of them together than his mother, especially the night of Pristine Point. She was just so grateful for not thinking about when she had her head between Draco's legs.

"Legilimens"

She didn't even hear Draco say the spell; she was already lost in her thoughts from that night. She definitely wouldn't mind blowing Draco again, everything about the experience turned her on. She couldn't help but think about Draco being buried between her legs at some point, just the thought of it made a hot sensation run through her body.

She suddenly grabbed her head when she felt the spell lift again and just saw Draco staring at her. If she thought her experience with Narcissa earlier was embarrassing she was wrong, the fact that she was just thinking about Draco Malfoy going down on her and he saw it, made her want to curl up into a ball and never show her face again.

"Uh, I should go," she quickly said, before making a run for the door.

He quickly blocked her path to the door and looked at her with a smirk. "Those are some...dirty thoughts you were having there, Weaslette."

"Please move," she said, not daring to look at him.

He stared at her face and saw her cheeks turn slightly pink. "Calm down, Ginny, I'm just messing around."

She glanced up at him and saw another smirk forming on his face before she shoved him backward playfully, "You're such a prick," she said angrily.

"Well, we would be able to practice properly if you weren't thinking like a dirty whore," he laughed as Ginny continuously slapped him on the arm and poked him in the ribs.

"DRACO, SERIOUSLY NOW, COME ON!" she yelled, stomping her foot.

He just looked at her face and then down to her balled fists and couldn't help but smile at her rising anger. "Sorry," he said, gently grabbing her wrists and felt her hands relax. "So, you really think someone could be invading your mind? I mean, it would explain a lot."

"I don't know, but I just want to at least try and learn something in case that is what's going on. So can you please help me?" she pleaded.

He felt bad for being insensitive; he could tell by the bags under her eyes that she was mentally and emotionally exhausted.

"Of course, well, I'm not the best at this, but it really does help when you push emotions aside. Had you been given lessons on this a few months ago you would've mastered it by now," he said, referring to the way she used to bury everything inside up until the past few weeks when her life was turned upside down.

She nodded that she understood. "So what should I think about?"

"Nothing, obviously you can't always think of nothing, but you need to know when someone is attempting to invade your mind so you can then try to block them."

"Ok, I think I'm ready."

He lifted his wand at her once more. "Legilimens"

Ginny's mind just kept thinking of blackness, she figured if there was just a big black blob in her mind it wouldn't allow anyone to invade it. She tried to focus just on the darkness, but then it kept making her think of the nightmares she'd been having. It was usually her standing in a dark room with a spotlight on a cradle in the middle of it. There was always a baby crying as she approached the cradle, but when she finally reached it there were just bloody blankets inside and the crying would suddenly stop. It usually ended with her being grabbed by someone and stabbed to death. She used to have nightmares of the entire attack replaying over and over, but it was this dark black room now... all the time.

She felt the spell lift again and she just shook her head in frustration. "I'm sorry, I can't do this," she said in disappointment.

He just gave her a sad look, his heart hurt for Ginny, he wanted so bad to tell her about his dream, but he felt awkward bringing it up.

"I don't think Occlumency is my thing right now, I think maybe I just need a good night's sleep before I attempt it again," she said as she made her way out of the arena.

"Do you need more sleeping draught?" he asked.

She scoffed at the question, "No, I've been ordered not to take them anymore and to get rid of all the ones you gave me," she snapped.

She saw Draco wasn't sure what to say and honestly, she wasn't even sure what she wanted to hear at this point. "Anyway, so the party is tomorrow... mum's having dinner at the Burrow tonight, so you should join us," she said with a small smile.

He nodded that he would be there and then watched her give a small wave goodbye before she headed home. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly at a loss for words for her; there was nothing he could say that would have made her feel better. He didn't want to fill her with false hope because he knew Ginny wouldn't appreciate him sugar coating stuff like this to her.

"Ginny left? Any luck?" Narcissa asked, walking over to him.

He just shook his head. "Mother, is there a way you could somehow capture an image from a memory or a dream?"

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Possibly, what for?" she asked.

"I need your help"

Ginny was waving her wand nonchalantly at her hair as she stared at the mirror to see different hairstyles start to form. She glanced over at the garment bag that held the dress she would wear tomorrow and gave a sigh.

"Ginny Weasley, are you actually acting like a girl right now?" Harry teased as he walked in and saw the numerous hairstyles forming.

She just gave another sigh and shook her hair wildly back and forth until the hairstyle fell apart to her normal long hanging strands. She folded her arms on the vanity table and buried her head in them and let out a loud groan.

"I take it Occlumency lessons didn't go as planned earlier?" he asked.

She picked her head up and looked at him, "You would be correct."

"Don't feel bad, Gin, I sucked at it also," he said giving her a crooked smile.

She just shrugged.

"You all ready for tomorrow? You even bought a dress and everything for the occasion," Harry teased again.

"Ugh, please, I rather wear some jeans and T-shirt, but I guess I have to look halfway decent, especially in front of all those people." she said.

He just laughed, "Come on, dinner is ready," he said, holding his hand out for her.

They made their way downstairs to the dinner table where a roaring conversation hit their ears. All of Ginny's brothers were there for the party the following day and there was a heated argument brewing between Hermione and Pansy. Ginny's eyes scanned the table to see Draco covering his ears as Pansy's voice pierced through the air. She looked at Harry and just gave a small giggle before making her way over to Draco and took a seat beside him.

"Aw, I think they like each other," Ginny joked as Hermione's cheeks turned red with anger. "What are they even arguing about anyway?"

Draco looked at her with a pained expression, "I don't know, something about S.P.E.W, I have no fuckin clue and I don't care, please switch seats with me?" he pleaded.

"No way," she laughed.

He got up and pulled his chair out and dragged her chair with her in it over to his spot and then set up his chair on the other side.

"Thanks," he said with a smirk.

"Dick," she mumbled.

"PANSY, DEAR, SETTLE DOWN! GEORGE AND CHARLIE, STOP TURNING PERCY'S FOOD INTO A PILE OF ICE! AND FOR GOODNESS SAKE, BILL AND RON STOP ARGUING ABOUT WHICH QUIDDITCH TEAM IS BETTER, THEY BOTH SUCK!" Mrs. Weasley's voice rang out from across the kitchen as she took a seat beside Arthur.

Once everyone settled down and started eating it wasn't long before the conversation grew louder and louder again and it was right back to the roaring of disagreements.

Draco couldn't keep his eyes off of Ginny throughout dinner, the past few weeks he barely got to see her laugh or enjoy herself so seeing her happy right now meant everything to him. He was rather annoyed when Pansy pulled him from his thoughts to have a conversation with him about some sort of shenanigans they got into during their Hogwarts days.

The table had mostly cleared out and people were scattered around the house lost in their own conversations. He kept scanning the room to see where Ginny went off to and finally caught sight of her through the window on the back porch.

After about ten minutes of Pansy going on and on about nothing of interest to him; he was about to excuse himself when her words stopped him.

"You must really love her," she said suddenly.

He snapped his head over to her with a slight sneer, "What?"

"Ginny? You haven't listened to a word I said, you've been looking for her since she left the room. You can't stop staring at her...you must really love her." she said again.

He just looked at her and then back at Ginny through the window. "Yeah...I do."

Draco finally managed to make his way outside to Ginny eventually and just stopped to watch her for a moment. She was laughing at something Harry told her as she lightly slapped him on the arm. His mind went to his dream of Astoria and Lily again, looking at Ginny and Harry together made it hard for him not to think of their child. He felt the picture in his pocket that he had his mother help him create from the image he so clearly had in his of Lily. He wanted to give it to Ginny...to both of them, he somehow felt like he owed it to them, but he didn't want to overstep his boundaries.

He slowly made his way over to them as he kept going back and forth on whether to share something so personal with them.

"Hey, Draco, you finally managed to escape the wrath of Pansy," Ginny giggled, causing Harry to lightly shove her.

"Ha, yeah, I suppose I did...uh, can I talk to you?" he asked, clearing his throat as his nerves kicked in.

"Uh oh, sounds serious," Harry lightly joked. "I'll give you some privac-"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to...both of you," he said, the awkwardness of the conversation made him kick himself for even attempting to bring it up.

Ginny and Harry exchanged a look. "Is everything ok?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, yeah, everything is fine, um...so I'm just going to come out with it and if I'm overstepping here, then I'm sorry, but I just wanted to tell you guys."

He glanced up at Ginny, whose eyes were piercing into his as she awaited his next words.

"When I was unconscious I had a dream...I mean, I don't even know if it was a dream, but Astoria was there and..." he trailed off and he reached into his pocket and pulled out the picture.

For some reason, Ginny knew what he was going to say and her heart felt like it stopped. She didn't realize she had grabbed Harry's arm tightly in anticipation of what was to come out of his mouth next.

"She had Lily with her and she was older now and I had my mother help me make this for you," he said, as he reached forward and handed Ginny the picture and quickly walked back into the house before she could turn it over.

She and Harry just stared at the spot Draco was at in disbelief before their eyes traveled back to the picture in her hand. She let out a nervous breath before she finally turned it around.

Draco stood in the kitchen and watched her through the window; the pained emotions that pierced the air as Ginny looked at the photo broke his heart. He watched her collapse in Harry's arms as she held the picture against her chest. He hated himself for causing not just her, but both of them so much pain, he immediately regretted saying anything. He felt his eyes start to sting with his own emotions as he thought back to the encounter with Astoria and Lily.

He suddenly felt someone grab his hand and he turned to see Pansy standing next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder as she watched Harry and Ginny through the window.

"Whatever it is that you're regretting, I'm sure it was really the right thing to do," she said softly.

He just looked at her, her expression genuine and the small smile she gave him was somewhat comforting.

He nodded at her words and then turned back to Ginny. "I hope so."

Draco stepped into the shower and thought back to the dinner he just came from and the look on Ginny and Harry's faces. He thought maybe they would be mad that he would even bring up their daughter when it was really all his fault why Ginny was targeted in the first place. He shook his head at how stupid he must be to have done that.

He finished showering and got dressed and finished drying his hair as he walked into his bedroom. He was surprised when he saw Ginny standing there in the middle of his bedroom waiting for him.

"Ginny, I didn't expect to see you tonight," he said, tossing the towel aside.

He could tell by her puffy eyes that she had been crying and he felt horrible for it. They both just stood there silent for a few moments.

"Listen, Ginny, I'm sorry I said anything, I didn't mean to upset you and Harry I just thought th-"

"Stop," she said, holding her hand up. She shook her head, "I'm not mad, I'm not upset...I can't even describe how amazing it was to see that picture."

Draco felt incredibly relieved once he heard her feelings about him showing her the picture.

"To see her smiling and alive...to know she's ok, I feel so much peace now," she said walking closer to him.

He smiled at her words. "Good, I'm glad...I know it was probably a dream, it just felt so real. I just remember everything, her laugh, the way she smelled...even the feeling of holding her."

"You got to hold her?" Ginny asked with a slight sound of jealousy in her voice.

He gave her a sad look and then he had an idea and grabbed his wand off his nightstand. He brought it up to his head and pulled out anything he remembered from his encounter with Lily.

"I'm not sure if this will work, but here it goes," he said before he let the memory float into the air.

There was just a distorted image that would occasionally come into focus. Draco frowned at his failed attempt to share the moment with her, but there was the slightest sound of babbling that filled the room and then a small giggle that was clearly Lily's.

"Oh, my gosh," Ginny gasped with the widest smile as tears fell down her cheeks. "I can hear her."

Draco went into his bathroom and grabbed an empty vial and put the memory inside and then handed it to Ginny. "Here, so Harry can hear her too," he said with a smile.

She took it and just looked up at him. "Thank you so much," she said before letting her lips meet his.

He was so relieved Ginny wasn't angry and to even have her kiss him after all of this meant everything to him. He was worried she would feel resentment towards him or start to be unsure of her feelings for him again. He felt her pull back and then look down at the vial in her hands.

"I'm going to go share this with Harry...I'll see you tomorrow, Draco," she said with a smile before she made her way back to the Burrow.

Ginny was getting ready for bed and couldn't stop smiling since she showed Harry the memory. She would hold up the picture of Lily and then listen to the light babbling and giggles at the same time. There was absolutely nothing that could change her mood right now...or so she thought. Her smile faded as she heard that familiar tapping at her window and she opened the window and snatched the letter from the raven.

Destroy the memories...

She must have reread the letter a hundred times before she took in what it said. She would not destroy the only sound of life from the daughter these bastards killed.

"Fuck you," she spat angrily at the letter before she waved her wand and set flames to it.

She climbed into bed and grabbed the picture out of her side table drawer and just stared at it. She couldn't believe Draco did something like that for her and Harry, she knew he must have loved her a great deal to do something so special for her. She looked at the photo one last time until her eyes finally started to droop and she fell into another uneasy sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so I know this chapter wasn't as action packed as the last one and I know you were hoping to get to the Malfoy party already, but I PROMISE... things are about to get crazy.
> 
> A quick side note to anyone who has already read my other story Unhinged, I have been asked by many to write a sequel and I have recently decided that I will definitely be writing one for anyone that was a fan of that fic!
> 
> Please review and please join my Facebook group! Thank You guys!


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I CANNOT APOLOGIZE ENOUGH FOR THIS CHAPTER BEING SOO LATE! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!  
> If you guys haven't joined my Facebook group yet here is the link.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/
> 
> I have been posting updates on there and chapter previews, so please join! Also, I have hardly had any reviews lately and I know you guys can do better than that, come on guys, show a girl some love =D
> 
> Hope you enjoy this one!

Ginny looked at herself in the mirror one last time before she headed downstairs to leave for the party. She had on a long dark green velvet dress that fit her body like a glove and it had a very high slit that came up to her thigh. It was sleeveless with a single strap of rhinestones over her bare shoulder. She wore her hair back in a long sleek ponytail with an elegant bump in front and actually managed to put some makeup on. She looked down at the matching rhinestone heels she wore and groaned at the uncomfortable feeling.

She just glanced over herself once more before she made her way downstairs to meet the others in the kitchen. This was probably the most dressed up she's ever been and would probably be one of the fanciest parties she's attended. She saw Harry and Pansy talking in the kitchen and walked up to them.

"WOW!" was all Harry managed to say when he saw her. "You look...amazing," he said, a bright smile stretching across his face. "Sorry, Pansy, I didn't mean-"

"Oh, please Harry, I might have to take the Weaslette upstairs and shag her myself because girl you look fuckin hot as hell," Pansy teased, looking Ginny over head to toe.

"Well, I feel weird and ridiculously uncomfortable," she whined, as she sat down at the table and placed her hands over her torso as she attempted to breathe through the tight fitting dress. "Mum, are you sure I can't wear jeans?" Ginny asked as her mother walked into the kitchen.

"Ginevra, enough, it's not going to kill you to look decent for a few hours."

"I beg to differ," she mumbled, as she felt her ribs desperately trying to expand in her dress.

Once everyone was ready to head out, Ginny managed to pull herself out of the chair and make her way to Malfoy Manor with the rest of her family.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Calm down, relax...everything is going fine so far," he assured her.

She nodded as she saw more people making their way over to greet them.

"Mrs. Malfoy, what a lovely home you have, we are so honored to be able to share this night with your family." said a woman as she made her way into the ballroom.

"Ugh, that was so fake I...I need a drink before I hex the hell out of everyone," Narcissa mumbled to Draco before she went into the ballroom as well.

Draco kept looking for Ginny, but he hadn't seen her yet. He was trying to keep his mother's nerves under control while piles of people kept showing up for the occasion. Draco was surprised by how many people showed up so far, way more than they anticipated. He knew a lot of people came just to be nosy and to see what the Malfoys were really up to; he couldn't help but smirk at that thought. Some guests were too intimidated to even shake their hands, which made Draco smirk even wider.

He finally gave up on finding Ginny and made his way into the ballroom to find his mother. He knew she would have to mingle with these people and she didn't have Lucius as a buffer since he was already deep in conversation with some people from the Ministry.

As Draco made his way through the crowd he couldn't help but overhear the different things people were saying, some of which made it hard for him to keep his mouth shut.

"...I heard the boy was in a mental institution for some time, he was probably the one who killed that poor girl..."

Draco overheard this statement and turned around with a snarl when he felt someone grab his arm tightly and lead him away from the group of people.

"Don't listen to any of them, Draco, people make up their own stories just so they have something good to gossip about," Hermione said. "I suppose it's to keep their lives more interesting and well, now they have a thriving topic for the next few hours."

He just looked at her hand on his arm and then up at her before he grabbed it away from her more roughly than he intended to. "I don't give a shit, I don't want people thinking I killed my fiancé." he snapped.

"Well, people are going to think whatever they want, does it really matter? I mean you're a Malfoy... like you really care what people think?" she said, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't," he said through clenched teeth.

"Mmhmm," she said with a small smirk before she walked back towards Ron.

Draco walked up to his mother and grabbed a drink off the table behind her and downed it before he stood there with a sneer on his face. "Well, everyone thinks I killed Astoria...this is going marvelous," he drawled.

Narcissa just took a sip of her wine. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, apparently I'm a cheating whore who has been sleeping with Mr. Zabini behind Mrs. Zabini's back because it's the only way I know how to comfort a friend from the loss of his son," she said, mocking the way she overheard the lady talking about her.

They both just looked at each other and started laughing.

"Oh my, how ridiculous...I rather like them thinking we are such a dysfunctional bunch," she casually said.

"Mother, we are a dysfunctional bunch," he said with a light chuckle.

She just smirked at him and then saw his eyes scanning the room. "I take it THAT"S who you are looking for?" She asked, nodding towards the ballroom doors.

Draco followed her gaze and finally found Ginny, she had just gotten there and he felt his heart speed up suddenly. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as he watched Kingsley greet her and her family. He saw her turn her head his way and her eyes fell right on him, through the huge crowd of people she found him in an instant. The biggest smile stretched across her face as she looked at him and then excused herself before walking over.

"My, my, don't you look handsome and look, you're wearing your favorite cufflinks," she teased him.

"Damn, you look...just damn," he said as he stumbled for words.

She bit her lip at his inability to describe the way she looked.

"You look stunning tonight, Ginny," Narcissa said over Draco's shoulder before shooting her son a smirk.

Draco gently guided Ginny a few feet away from his mother and whispered in her ear. "I really would like to take you into one of the closets and rip that dress off of you, but I suppose I'll try to control myself."

She slapped him hard on the arm as she laughed at his comment. "Stop it, you're not ripping anything off, do you know how long it took to squeeze into this thing? Ugh, I miss my pajamas," she sighed.

Draco suddenly saw his father waving him over to talk to, who he assumed was an old family friend. "Damn, guess I have to mingle, listen, let's get through this party and then plan a sleepover tonight... I'll help you get out of that dress later," he said with a smirk before he left her side.

Ginny just shook her head at his desire to shag her brains out and couldn't help but smile at his open flirtation with her. She never thought about them being so close in front of all of these people. Draco didn't really give any indication that he had a problem with it, although it wasn't like they were an actual couple anyway...right?

"People are going to start talking," Narcissa said from a few feet away.

Ginny turned to look at her and made her way over, "About what exactly?"

"If there was one thing people at the Ministry knew about, it was how much the Malfoy family despised the Weasley family and vice versa of course." she scoffed. "Just look at us now," she said with a wide grin before she sipped her wine again.

Ginny just laughed and then her smile turned into a forced one as Chamberlain made his way over to them.

"Ah, Ginny, nice to see you as always. Mrs. Malfoy, it's been quite some time since we've last spoken, which is unfortunate since I've always found you quite charming," he said, looking at the blonde before him.

Narcissa just rolled her eyes before downing the rest of her wine. "I wish I could say the same about you, William, but I'm afraid just the thought of having to stand here for a second longer and listen to you is making me want to impale myself with the nearest dinner fork," she said before smiling brightly at him and Ginny. "Excuse me," she said, before gracefully walking towards Lucius.

Ginny just started giggling.

"Lovely woman that one," he said as Narcissa walked away.

"Aw, give her a chance, maybe she'll come around," Ginny joked.

"Eh, she's always hated me," he said, waving his hand.

"Well, you're a pretty hateable person," Ginny stated.

"Am I? I mean with this face and these good looks? And let's not forget my charm."

"No, I'm referring to the uneasy feeling you give off," she said, placing her hand on her hip as she stared him down.

"Hmm, do I give off that feeling now?" he asked, taking a step closer to her.

Her eyes traveled up to meet his and she saw him look down to the necklace she had on that Harry had given her. He picked up the coin between his fingers and looked at it for a moment before letting it go.

"Interesting," he said before his eyes traveled back up to hers. "Enjoy the party, Miss Weasley," he said softly before he walked away.

Ginny furrowed her eyebrows at his comment as she watched him make his way through the crowd.

"Everything ok? You look deep in thought." came Harry's voice as he walked up to her.

"Yeah, that guy is just so creepy," she said, staring after Will. "Anyway, how's it going? How are people responding to the news of Lucius working at the Ministry again?"

"A lot of mixed feelings on it, everyone has something to say," he shrugged. "Someone did ask me about you and Draco though, that was quite an interesting conversation." he laughed.

"What about me and Draco?" she asked.

"If you guys were together," he simply said.

"And what did you say?" she asked, her voice rising.

"I said, absolutely," he said with a smirk, knowing it would put her mind into a whirlwind.

"Why did you say that? I don't think Draco wants people knowing that and besides, we aren't a couple or anything." she said nervously.

"Relax Ginny, it was like one person that asked, everyone here is spreading nothing but rumors because that's what they do," he said, gently grabbing her by the shoulders and looking at the nervous look on her face.

She just nodded.

"Miss Weasley, so nice to see you again," said Kingsley walking up to her.

"I'll catch you later," Harry whispered to her before he left her and Kingsley to talk.

"Good evening, Sir," she said with a smile.

"Quite a turn out as far as people go, wouldn't you say?" he asked, looking out into the crowd.

"Yes, everyone wants to know what's going on, especially if it involves a Malfoy," she said, making them both laugh.

"Indeed," he chuckled.

Ginny noticed the music get a bit louder and people started dancing, she couldn't help but laugh when Ron was trying to talk Hermione into dancing with him. Hermione shot Ginny a concerned look as she was dragged onto the dance floor.

"Looks like Miss Granger's feet are in for a long night." Kingsley joked at Ron's inability to dance without stepping on Hermione.

"Well, technically its Mrs. Weasley now,"

"Ah, yes, that's right, they are married now. Perhaps there will be another Weasley wedding in the future," he said, shooting her a smirk before leaving her side.

Ginny just stared after him, surely he didn't mean...nah, she thought to herself. Before her mind could carry her off into a thousand different directions she saw Draco making his way back over to her.

"Damn, that guy can talk," he said, giving a fake smile across the room to one his parents' friends waving hello. "Fuck, I hate people."

"You're doing great, you haven't hexed anyone yet and neither has your mother," Ginny teased.

He just smiled at her.

"I guess we should dance," he said.

Ginny just looked at him in surprise. "What? You mean like...you and I dance? Together?" she asked, stumbling over her words.

"Who else would I be dancing with?" he said with an amused smirk.

"What about us being seen together?"

"Oh, that's fine if you don't want to-"

"Oh no, I'm only asking for you, I wasn't sure if you-"

She stopped talking when he grabbed her wrist and dragged her onto the dance floor.

"Dancing is one of the things I excel at, so get ready, Weaslette," he said smugly.

She just gave a soft giggle at his conceited comment.

Draco placed one of his hands on her hip and took her hand in the other and flawlessly guided her across the room. She was definitely impressed by his graceful movements and control he had over leading her about the dance floor.

"I'm impressed," she lightly laughed at his smug smirk. "I think people are starting to think you've gone mad," she said, noticing quite a few people looking their way and whispering back and forth.

"Yeah, they are probably wondering why you aren't dancing with Harry," he joked as she gave him a light shove.

"Mr. Malfoy, a word please?" said a man that walked up to them.

Draco looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he tried to identify the man, but didn't know who he was. "Uh, sure?" he said.

Ginny just watched the man lead Draco across the room as he talked his ear off and shook her head in amusement.

"Looks like he's gone and left you again." came a voice from beside her.

She turned to see a woman standing there. "I'm sorry, do I know-"

"Catherine Roberts, I work at the Ministry and I'm an old acquaintance of the Malfoy family."

"Oh, I'm Gin-"

"I know who you are," the woman said with a sneer.

"Oh?" Ginny said, taken aback by the woman's sudden expression.

"Funny to see these two families in the same room celebrating something like them working together," she said, as she looked out into the crowd of people.

"Funny? How so?"

"The Weasley family sticks out like a sore thumb in a setting like this. You think anyone here cares that your father is getting this position? They don't, most everyone is here to see if it is true that Lucius Malfoy was being accepted back at the Ministry. Him being back is far more of an asset than some useless Weasley." she said casually.

Ginny just stared at her with a blank expression as she was somewhat shocked by the words she was hearing.

"Don't look so surprised, dear, you can't possibly think that hanging on the arm of a Malfoy will get you somewhere."

"I don't-"

"It's so disappointing to see poor Draco with someone of such low class, he deserves so much better," she said with a sigh as she turned back to Ginny and saw her angry glare. "Don't be upset, you should feel so lucky to be around so many people of great importance and to have Draco be interested in sharing a dance with you...quite lucky indeed. Now Astoria, bless her soul, now she was quite the lady, her family was very well known amongst the Ministry."

Ginny lowered her head as she grew uncomfortable with the conversation. "Excuse me," she said before she left the ballroom.

She made her way outside for some fresh air and let out a long sigh. Why the hell was she letting some stuck-up snob get to her like that? Normally Ginny would tell someone like that off or knock her out if she was pushed enough. She just knew how important this night was and she didn't want to get in the way of anything.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, in need of some fresh air?"

She turned to see Lucius walking over to her.

Ginny just shook her head. "Ugh, some of those people just get under my skin."

"Indeed they do, there's a lot of pressure on me to...let's just say, go back to old ways," he said, throwing the drink he had in his hand back.

"I take it your in need of some fresh air as well then?" she asked with a sad smile.

"Not many people like being told no, especially when it comes to business. Many of these people are old business partners who knew of my family's involvement with Voldemort but were smart enough to stay away. It's assumed I'll be dealing with some of them again and that is not the case this time around." he explained as the thought of what his family went through years ago ran through his head.

Ginny wasn't sure what to say, she just mostly listened.

"I've made some bad choices and I know what kind of a toll that took on my family...what it's still doing to them. I won't do that again," he said firmly. "No matter how many times I've been told I've gone soft," he added with a scoff.

She just gave a small giggle. "Oh, yes Mr. Malfoy, you're a real softy," she said sarcastically.

He just gave her a small smirk. "Well, I guess we should get back in there," he said.

"Yeah, I don't know about that, I'm not really making the greatest impact in there. I think it's best if I just keep a low profile." she sighed.

"And by keeping a low profile you mean, stay away from Draco?" he asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

She just looked at him with a frown. "Maybe," she mumbled, looking down at the ground.

He took a few steps closer to her. "After everything you've been through these past few months and a few stuck up Purebloods and Ministry officials have you running to the sidelines? As if you really care what these people think? I think not." he drawled.

He started to walk back inside before he turned back to her. "Your relentlessness is something to be admired...incredibly annoying, but still something to be admired," he said before heading back into the ballroom.

Ginny just let his words set in before she gave herself a reassuring nod and followed him inside.

As she walked back into the ballroom her eyes somehow always managed to immediate find Draco. She was surprised to see his eyes lock with hers as he seemed to be looking for her. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she made her way over to him.

"There you are, is everything ok?" he asked her.

She just looked at him, the genuine concern in his eyes made her heart melt. Even the way he gently placed a hand on her arm made her love for him grow. She could literally feel how much he cared for her just in the way he touched her and how he looked at her. All he ever cared about was her happiness, whether it was for his benefit or not. She thought back to the memories he gave her of Lily and how happy it made her and Harry.

"Ginny? Are you ok?" he asked again, this time gently grabbing both of her shoulders.

She started to nod. "Yeah, everything is ok," she said with a smile.

Both of their attention turned towards the entrance to the room where a few Aurors came in. Ginny gave Harry a confused look who looked just as lost as she was as to why they were here. Ginny wasn't sure why, but she felt a knot form in her stomach as she watched them approach Will and some other Ministry officials. She could tell they were here to arrest somebody and for whatever reason, she felt it had to do with the consequence of burning that letter to a crisp last night.

She turned to Draco, who knew something was up as they started to walk their way. She watched them make their way closer and closer to them and hoped they would change direction. She felt a lump form in her throat when they stopped in front of her and Draco.

"Draco Malfoy?" one of them asked.

"What's going on?" he asked with a sneer.

"You're under arrest for the murder of Gregory Pines," the man said, getting ready to bind him.

"WAIT, WHAT? THERE MUST BE A MISTAKE!" Ginny shouted, getting in front of him to block Draco from his path, her hand already traveling towards her wand.

She felt Harry grab her wrist and pull her back. "Do. Not. Get yourself arrested." he whispered in her ear. "You can't do much right now, so just keep quiet," he warned her.

"What is going on here, Mr. Chamberlain? I thought this case was resolved?" Kingsley asked as anger filled his voice.

"I thought it was as well, Sir, but there was new evidence that apparently has Mr. Malfoy's prints all over the scene AND the murder weapon."

"Where is this evidence?" Narcissa demanded. "Is there really any at all or are you just so desperate to see him behind bars?" she snarled at Will.

"I'd be happy to show you back at the Ministry," he said, a slight smirk forming on his face.

He grabbed Draco by the arm and went to bind him.

"I don't think that's necessary," Harry said through clenched teeth as he stared the man down.

"Have it your way Mr. Potter," he said, roughly grabbing Draco by the arm to escort him out.

"I got him, why don't you just get the hell out of here," Harry said firmly, his voice filled with anger. He turned back to Ginny, "Come down to the Ministry, he'll be in a holding cell there until I can figure out what's going."

He went to walk away when Ginny grabbed his arm and turned him back to her. "Harry, he's not going to end up in Azkaban is he?" she asked, her eyes traveling over to Draco, who was helping his father to keep Narcissa from hexing the living hell out of every Auror in there.

Harry just looked at her and didn't say anything. "I'll see you at the Ministry," he said before he turned and escorted Draco towards the door.

She couldn't believe this was happening, she saw Draco look her way and she could tell he was unsure of his future. She went to run after him and put up another fight and just as she went to catch up to them she felt someone stop her.

"Ginny, don't, you can help Draco a lot more from outside of a cell. Trust me." Arthur whispered to her.

She just turned to look at where he firmly held her wrist and then up to meet his gaze. She turned to watch the entire room erupt into gossip as Draco made his way across the room. She could only imagine what people were saying and she grew angry, but she also grew worried.

She turned to look at her father once more and ripped her hand out of his grasp before she quickly made her way across the room.

"Wait," she called out. "WAIT!" she then yelled as she watched him continue to walk away.

Draco wasn't sure why, but for some reason hearing Ginny yell out to them made him want to keep walking. He was unsure of what was awaiting him and a cell in Azkaban seemed not too far away. He wasn't sure what evidence there was to prove that Draco killed Pines, he didn't even know how his prints were found on the murder weapon. He knew it must have been a setup and his mind wanted to immediately go to Chamberlain, but he was here at the party with them and he helped Harry cover the whole thing up so why would he be behind it.

He suddenly was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Ginny call out his name. He felt Harry grab his arm to stop him so Ginny could talk to him. He just looked at Harry, who just nodded towards Ginny.

Ginny quickened her pace as she called out to Draco and Harry to stop and squeezed herself through the crowd of people. She saw Draco finally stop and turn to face her and something inside her made her body and mind act on their own accord. She suddenly didn't care how many people were around and what they had to say, as soon as she was in arms reach she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his.

Draco was completely caught off guard by the kiss, but as soon as her lips were on his he couldn't help himself. He had kissed Ginny many times, but this one was different, he could feel the love behind it, her worry for him and her need to protect him, even her strength...she had put everything into that kiss.

She pulled back a bit and looked into his eyes, "Draco...I love you, I just had to tell you that."

He just stared at her, surprised by her open affection for him in front of a room full of people, in front of his parents and even Harry, who had a smirk on his face.

"Well, I guess that works out perfect because...I kind of love you too," he said with a smirk.

She just gave a small tearful laugh before she went to hug him again.

"ENOUGH OF THIS! THIS MAN IS A KILLER!" Will yelled, grabbing Draco and binding his hands.

"THAT'S A LIE!" Ginny shouted.

Will was suddenly in her face. "Watch yourself, Miss Weasley, we wouldn't want your fingerprints to suddenly show up at that crime scene, now do we?" he whispered to her.

She wanted to jump on him, but it was Ron that had a firm hold on her upper arm before she could do so. She just watched Draco be practically dragged out of the room as a few tears slid down her face. She wasn't sure how, but she was going to get Draco out of this mess.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny walked down the hall of the Ministry filled with rage, the only sound that filled her ears were her heels hitting the floor. Her once sleek ponytail was a mess and her elegant bump that laid on top was coming undone as anger filled her.

"You need to keep your head when we get there if we want any chance of helping Draco," Lucius said as he and Narcissa tried to keep up with Ginny's pace.

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled in response.

She saw Will down the hall outside of his office talking to Harry.

"What's going on? Is Draco still here?" Ginny asked as she approached them.

"He's downstairs in a holding cell, I can take you down to him in a minute," Harry said as he placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down.

"How did this evidence come about all of a sudden? Who presented it to you? And more so, why is it automatically assumed my son is a murderer?" Narcissa hissed.

"Well, first Mrs. Malfoy, he is a murderer-"

"You know that Draco and Ginny were both there with Pines and they both told you he took his own life. You just helped me cover this up and now your wasting no time locking him up?" Harry asked angrily.

"Yes, I did agree to help you keep HER safe," he said, nodding to Ginny, "But when another Auror looked into the case further I couldn't really do much more about it. So what if I'm not as upset to see at least one Malfoy behind bars, I think the whole lot of them should be there." he spat as Narcissa grabbed her wand, but was stopped by Lucius' hand on her wrist.

"I know you would like to think that I'm the bad guy here, but I'm just happy to finally see the piece of trash where he belong-"

He was cut off when Ginny lunged forward and punched him so hard in the face he stumbled backward.

"GINNY!" Harry yelled, grabbing her back from him.

Ginny was pleased to see Will's face full of blood.

"YOU CRAZY BITCH!" he yelled, stepping towards her.

Harry went to step in front of him, but it was Lucius who got there first. "Perhaps you should go...clean yourself up, Mr. Chamberlain." Lucius drawled with a smirk.

Will just shook his head in anger and glared at Ginny, "Alright Miss Weasley...if that's the way you want it." he said, before walking into his office and slamming the door closed.

"Thank you for doing that," Narcissa whispered in Ginny's ear.

Ginny just gave her a small smirk. "Please take me to see Draco," Ginny said, as she initiated the walk towards the downstairs cells.

They all arrived downstairs and Ginny's heart broke when she saw Draco in that cell. She knew it was probably because of her ignoring the letter that this was happening.

"Draco, are you alright? Did anyone come and speak to you yet? Did you talk to Kingsley?" Narcissa berated him with questions as Harry unlocked the cell for her to grab him into a hug.

"I'm fine, Mother, and no, I haven't spoken to anyone. How are my prints all over this case? I mean for me to look guilty, Ginny's prints were all over that house just as much as mine, so something isn't adding up." he said.

"It's my fault," Ginny suddenly said as everyone turned to look at her.

"What do you mean, Gin?" Harry asked.

She looked at him and then over to Draco. "I got a letter last night and I ignored it...this is probably the consequence...I'm so sorry," she choked out.

"Stop that, something of consequence would have happened eventually, Mr. Potter, shall we go find Kingsley?" Narcissa suggested.

Harry nodded and then turned to Ginny. "I'll be back in a few," he said before he followed Narcissa and Lucius out of the room.

Ginny just looked up at Draco, who had his eyes firmly on her. She felt so guilty as she stared into his eyes from across the room. He nodded his head for her to come over to him and she slowly made her way towards him until she was in front of him.

"Draco, I'm sorry, the letter wanted me to destroy those memories you gave me and...I just couldn't," she explained as her eyes welled with tears.

"Good, I wouldn't have wanted you to destroy them and I will gladly rot in Azkaban just so you could keep them," he said with a smile.

She flung herself into his arms and pulled him close to her as his words sunk in.

"Do you think Will had something to do with this?" Ginny asked against his chest.

"I don't know, why would he go through all that trouble to help us out and then just undo all of it? He sounded rather happy though when that bit of supposed evidence turned up."

"Don't worry, I punched him for you, he bled all over and everything," Ginny laughed.

"Seriously? I'm kind of upset I missed it."

She pulled back and looked up at him. "I really do love you," she softly said as she stared into those silver orbs.

He just smiled at her words, "And I really, really love you," he said before he gently cupped her face with one hand and pulled her closer to meet his lips.

After a moment she pulled back and looked at him again with sad eyes. "Are you going to be ok? I promise I'll figure this out."

He just smiled at her and nodded, but she could tell he was worried about being sent off to Azkaban.

"Ok, so I just had a quick chat with Kingsley," said Harry as he walked back into the room. "I'm not going to lie, it's bad."

Ginny felt her heart sink.

"Wherever this evidence came from or whoever it came from...it's pretty solid, everything checks out. In fact, Ginny, there's not one trace that you were ever there," he explained.

"So, this person is framing me? Maybe it is Chamberlain?" Draco suggested.

"There's no denying how much Will hates you and your family and was ecstatic to see you locked up, but this all happened while Will was at the party. Kingsley said-"

"I'll be right back," Ginny suddenly said, leaving the room.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked her, but she ignored him and kept walking. "GINNY!"

She made her way back to Will's office with anger running through her as she barged right through his door. She was pleased to see he was still nursing his bloody nose.

"Miss Weasley, come for another go?" he spat.

"What did you mean when you said, "I wouldn't want my fingerprints to suddenly show up at that crime scene?" You framed Draco, didn't you?" she asked.

"I didn't, I told you that and I didn't mean anything by it, I was just intimidating you," he said, throwing his bloody rag aside.

"And I'm just supposed to believe that?"

"Like I give a shit if you do? You and your friends are so set on me being behind all of these letters and attacks, but what it really is, is that you're so sick of not being able to hold someone accountable so it's easier to point fingers at the office prick. Yeah, I do hate the Malfoys, I can't stand them, in my opinion, they should be rotting away in prison, but I still helped Harry cover the whole thing up and I only did it because you were involved." he explained angrily.

"Why would I have an influence on whether you would help Harry or not?"

"Because believe it or not, I actually still liked you at that point and I didn't want to see you get hurt," he snapped.

She wasn't sure what to say to this, she knew they were going back and forth with Will's involvement with these people. She never thought about whether it was actually true or not and he was right, they never really had reason to blame him for a lot of the stuff happening to her and Draco. Maybe Will was right, maybe they were so tired of trying to find out who these people were that he just seemed like the perfect person to accuse.

"Well, it's coincidental that there's not one trace of me ever being there, but Draco's prints are all over the place AND on the knife that both Draco and I watched Pines slit his own throat with WITHOUT hesitation."

"I would agree, it is coincidental, which is exactly why it's probably these people that are behind it. As soon as I saw there was evidence to put Draco in prison I jumped on it and was happy to do it. I did what Harry asked of me before, but having that come up and knowing it was out of my hands was the highlight of my night. I'm just being honest." he said.

She just shook her head in disgust at him. "Your nose is bleeding again," she said before she slammed the door shut and left his office.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harry knocked on Ginny's bedroom door and peeked his head inside. "You awake?" he called out into the dark room.

She sighed and sat up, "Of course I am," she said, leaning over and turning on her lamp.

He walked in and sat on the end of her bed. "So, listen, Draco was taken to Azkaban tonight,"

"WHAT!" she yelled, ripping the blankets off of herself and jumping out of bed.

"I tried to get Kingsley to hold him until we figured out what was going on, but it was Chamberlain, who talked him into sending him there tonight and even personally escorted him there."

"THAT BLOODY SON OF A BITCH!" she yelled. "I KNEW HE FRAMED DRACO, HE HATES HIS WHOLE FAMILY!" she went off on an angry rant as she paced around her room. "Harry, do you think he's behind everything?" she asked.

"I don't know, but if he is..." he trailed off as he thought about the possibility.

Ginny ripped her drawer opened and started grabbing clothes.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to go see Draco, can you take me to visit him?" she asked.

"NO, DEFINITELY NOT, I don't want you near Azkaban, not with all those Dementors and-"

"Dementors? I thought the Ministry didn't have them guarding Azkaban anymore?"

"Yeah, for a while, but it changed about two years ago and the Ministry felt the prison was more secure having them around."

Ginny sat on the bed beside him. "Harry, there's no way out of this right now is there? Draco's in trouble isn't he?" she asked, looking at him.

He looked at her. "The files I had on Pines are gone, the only one there is, has Draco looking as guilty as ever."

She buried her face in her hands and started to cry as Harry pulled her into a hug.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny woke up the next morning and was showered and dressed before she made her morning appearance. She made her way into the kitchen and saw Harry going through some files at the table.

"Find anything?" she asked as she took a seat across from him.

"Nothing," he sighed.

She felt her heart break to pieces. There was no way she would ever allow Draco to rot away in there. She promised him she would get him out of this mess and that's what she was going to do.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?" he answered as he started going through another pile of papers.

"Do you think you could teach me how to produce a Patronus?"

He stopped and looked at her. "But you already know how to," he said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, but can you show me how to produce one as powerful as yours?"

He leaned in closer to her. "What are you up to, Ginny?"

"I'm going to break Draco out of Azkaban."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okkk, so your thoughts? What do you think about Will? Is he behind all of this or is he just a asshole? I hope Ginny's outfit sounded as amazing as I had it pictured in my head, lol. PLEASE REVIEW!


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So sorry this chapter took so long! I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Once again if you haven't joined my Facebook group yet, here is the link.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/
> 
> I post updates on Making Amends there and what is going on with my other Drinny fics!
> 
> Now for the chapter!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!

"ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE?" Harry yelled.

"No, I'm not and I'm going to find a way to do it, whether you help me or not," Ginny snapped, getting up from the table and making her way out of the kitchen.

Harry quickly got up and followed her. "Ginny, you can't just go breaking into Azkaban; do you know how secure that place is?"

"Not as much as you do," she shot at him.

"Ginny, I can't just go breaking criminals out of Azkaban."

"So Draco's a criminal now?" she asked angrily.

"You know I didn't mean it like that, but this is my job on the line, my career...I can't break someone out of there. Please just give me some more time to try and figure out a way around this." he pleaded with her.

She just stared at him for a moment before she gave a small nod and then headed upstairs. She would never want Harry to get in trouble for something she did, but she wasn't letting any more time pass. She appreciated everything Harry was doing to try and get Draco out of there, but she was tired of waiting. If these people are behind framing Draco then she knew time was something they definitely didn't have. She knew there was no easy way out of this and then if Will really was involved in with this group of people she knew they were in a lot more trouble than they could ever imagine.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harry knocked on the large set of doors and waited for someone to answer. His mind was on Ginny and how she wanted to break into Azkaban. He had been searching all day for some of the evidence he and Will had originally altered to cover everything up and it was all gone.

"Mr. Potter, please come in, you hardly have to even knock anymore," the woman said with a welcoming smile.

"Thank you, Mrs. Zabini, is everyone here?" he asked, making his way towards the dining room.

"Just about," she answered.

He followed her into a room full of people who were all deep in conversation about the latest events with Draco and Ginny.

"Mr. Potter, why exactly did you request our presence and why on earth are all these people gathered at the Zabini's?" Lucius asked, his tone filled with a bit of annoyance.

"I'll explain everything in a moment. EVERYONE!" Harry called out to the room, making everyone turn their attention to him. "I asked Lucius and Narcissa to come to one of our Order meetings because I think they should join-"

"Order? I didn't think the Order was still around?" Narcissa asked in surprise.

"Well, after Voldemort was gone there was no need for it, however, when I realized this group of people was a bigger threat than I thought, I decided it was needed again. After what happened with Astoria and Blaise I knew there were a lot more people involved. Then after everything with Ginny happened..." he trailed off as a lump seemed to form in his throat.

"After that, Harry started recruiting whoever would be willing to join," Hermione finished for him. "We got everyone and anyone who was willing to stand with us and fight when it finally came down to it, but we hadn't had much to go on until the last few months."

"Now, according to Ginny, there are hundreds of people following whoever is behind all of this. Although we don't have that many, we do have some great witches and wizards who are ten times more experienced with magic compared to one of their people." Harry continued.

"Why haven't you told us about this sooner? I've been coming to the Zabini's for years and I've never heard anything." Narcissa asked.

"Because Mr. and Mrs. Zabini only recently agreed to join the Order and let us use their home for meetings. We were having meetings at Neville's but he was nearly killed there one night when these people burned his house to the ground," he explained as he glanced over to Neville, who had a pained look on his face at the memory.

"Why wouldn't you tell Draco or Ginny about this?" Narcissa asked.

"Because you know I couldn't risk anything with the Order getting out to these people. They are finding out everything somehow."

"So why are we here, mate? Surely, you didn't call us all here just to welcome newcomers?" Ron asked.

Harry looked at Narcissa to see if she was satisfied with the information he gave her so far about the Order and she gave him a small nod to go on.

"Ginny came to me this morning and is attempting to break into Azkaban," he said.

The entire room erupted into conversation.

"She's bloody crazy," Pansy said.

"There's no way she's going to be able to get in there," Seamus Finnigan chimed in from across the room.

"I think Ginny is a lot more resourceful than you are all giving her credit for," said Luna.

"Mr. Potter, surely I don't have to stress the danger of Miss Weasley attempting this?" said McGonagall.

"I know Professor, I warned her this morning and asked her to hold off until I figured something out, but I know Ginny and I know she is going to try it anyway," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Well, what about this Chamberlain guy? Do we know if he's a part of this group? He sure the hell seems to be, especially after framing Draco for murdering Pines." Ron said angrily.

"I wouldn't dismiss the possibility of him being so, but regardless, right now our focus is Ginny and trying to get Draco out of Azkaban," Harry said. "Are Bill and Charlie still watching Pines' brother's place?"

"Yeah, last they said was that there were about five men that entered the house last night around ten and only two of them left at the crack of dawn this morning. Three out of the five guys we are familiar with already from our many encounters with them during a few attacks. Two of which were in Hogsmeade that day that Ginny and Draco were attacked." Hermione read out to the room from the notepad she had.

Harry nodded at the information.

"Also, they may be entering from the front of the house, but I don't think they are all leaving from the same entrance. I think it's so they aren't tracked so easily. There was the use of Floo powder and apparition in that area as well as the use of a Portkey according to the information Arthur found out." Hermione continued.

Harry just shook his head, he was so grateful that he had so many people involved in trying to stop these people, but the information they kept getting wasn't helping them get any closer to catching these people.

"One other thing," Hermione went on.

Harry looked at her with hopeful eyes.

"That guy, Peter Flixsly? That you and Arthur had been searching for, he was found dead last night in Diagon Alley...stabbed to death."

Harry exchanged a quick look with Lucius and then turned back to Hermione. "That's crazy, all this time he's been off the radar and he finally turns up dead? And in Diagon Alley?"

"Mr. Potter, it seems to be that perhaps these people might be sending a message? You spent how long looking for this man and then he turns up suddenly out in the open... murdered? I think they want you to be aware of just how many connections they actually have." Lucius suggested.

"I think Mr. Malfoy is right, Harry, why else would they just drop his body off there out of the blue? Something isn't adding up." Hermione said.

Harry was quiet for a few moments and then his mind went back to Ginny. "Alright, does everyone have their coins?"

They all nodded and Hermione pulled out two more that were the same one Harry had, and as the one he gave Draco and made Ginny a necklace of. She got up and handed one to Lucius and Narcissa.

"Those are how we have been communicating and how we know if one of us is in trouble and needs help. I gave one to Draco and Ginny as well and now that you both are a part of the Order you should have them." Harry explained.

Narcissa and Lucius exchanged a look before they accepted the coins and gave a small nod.

Everyone had soon got lost in conversation after the meeting that had ended and soon started leaving. Narcissa excused herself from a conversation she and Lucius were having with the Zabini'a and made her way over to Harry.

"Mr. Potter, may I have a word?" she asked.

"Of course," he said, leading the way out of the room. "What's going on?"

She was quiet for a moment as she fidgeted with her hands for a bit before finding her words. "I would just like to say thank you for everything you've done for my son and for us-"

"Mrs. Malfoy, there's no need for that, the Order wants-"

"I'm not talking about the Order, Mr. Potter. Yes, I am extremely grateful for the support the Order is showing us and Draco, but...it's you specifically that I want to thank for helping Draco when nobody else would," she said, as she started to get choked up.

Harry was quiet and a bit taken aback by her appreciation.

"I can't even begin to imagine what all of this has been like for you and Ginny. The fact that you are still trying to help my son means a great deal to Lucius and I. I know a lot of this is for Ginny, but I just really have no words to express my gratitude to you, so thank you."

He just gave her a small smile and he thought he should explain to her that he would have gone to the same lengths as forming an Order even if it was JUST for Draco. He knew she thought many of these people were there just for Ginny, but what happened to Draco that night was something he would never forget. He remembered every detail of that night and how broken Draco was...it was unbearable to witness.

He looked at her and had a feeling that she really did know just how much of this was for both Draco and Ginny and all the victims of these people.

He decided not to elaborate any further. "You're welcome, Narcissa." he simply said with another smile.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny felt her butt starting to go numb from sitting for the past two hours. She had made it a point to sneak into the bathroom of the Ministry and wait until it closed. Her plan was to break into Kingsley's office tonight to see if there was some sort of file on Will or his brother and she also wanted to see everything what was in Pines' file too. She knew the risk of getting caught, but she would do anything to try and get Draco out of Azkaban. Harry asked her to not do anything crazy like breaking in there so she was holding off, but he didn't say anything about not breaking into the Minister of Magics's office.

She thought to hide in the girl's bathroom from when she woke up in there from one of her many blackouts, so she knew they didn't do a good sweep of the bathrooms before everyone left. She finally peeked her head out of the bathroom when she saw the night sky outside and listened for any lingering workers.

After feeling confident that the Ministry was empty, she made her way towards Kingsley's office and anticipated a locked door. She was completely surprised when the door was unlocked and she was able to walk right inside. She looked around the office and found a large file cabinet behind the desk and quickly made her way over to it.

Once again, she anticipated a locked drawer and some highly secure charms around these files but furrowed her brows when she realized it was opened and there was not a single charm keeping her from them.

"That's...odd, why wouldn't the Minister of Magic lock these up?" she asked out loud.

"Perhaps it's because I'm still working in here," came a voice from behind her.

Ginny froze as she heard the voice and slowly stood up and turned around. "Sir, I-"

"I think I have a pretty good understanding of what was going here, Miss Weasley," said Kingsley as he gave her an angry, disappointed look. "You realize I could have you sent to Azkaban for this? And not to mention I bloody well should since I've already warned you about stealing Ministry files." he lectured her.

"I'm sorry, Sir, I just want to try and help Draco, do you really, honestly believe he killed Pines?" she asked, looking at him with pleading eyes to reconsider the evidence.

"That is not open for discussion at this time, Miss Weasley, I am further investigating it. I will say though...I think this newly found evidence is quite suspicious."

Ginny couldn't help but perk up at hearing his thoughts on the case. It sounded like Draco still had some hope as long as Kingsley didn't act blind to what was really going on. The fact that Kingsley himself thought of the evidence as suspicious was a great start to trying to get Draco out of Azkaban.

"Is everything ok in here, Minister?" asked Will as he walked into Kingsley's office. "Ah, Miss Weasley, what are you doing here? And so late?" he asked.

She wanted to deck him in the face again as he looked at her with a smug smile. "How's your nose?" she asked.

He just gave a small chuckle. "It's...all better now," he said, staring at her, his presence was calm as he spoke.

"Mr. Chamberlain, everything is alright, I was just going over some stuff with Ginny in regards to Draco's case."

"I see," Will said.

Ginny suddenly felt her entire body tense up when she watched Will pull a knife out and plunge in right into Kingsley's chest. She couldn't tell if what she was seeing was actually happening because it was that shocking. She felt her throat completely lock up and her body was frozen in place as she watched him bring the knife back up and swipe it clean across Kingsley's throat. She felt the warm splatter of blood hit her face as she seemed to have let out a loud gasp as her body shook with complete and utter shock.

She watched Kingsley drop to the floor in front of her as she brought a hand up over her mouth in an attempt to hide the scream that never came. All she could do was stare at Will with wide eyes and as soon as he locked eyes with her she felt the fear kick in.

"I'll tell you what... I'll give you a chance to run," he said with a sadistic smile.

She wanted to run, but she was unsure if her legs could hold her up at this point. She just started slowly making her way closer to the door as she continued to stare at the entire scene in disbelief. Will went to take a step closer to her and she suddenly found her speed and ran out of the room and started barreling down the hall and into the elevator. She just watched Will walking casually down the hall towards her as she begged the elevator doors to close. Her hand quickly found her wand and she forced the doors closed and felt her body slam to the back of it once it took off to one of the lower levels. She impatiently banged on the doors to open so she could take off running and as soon as she did, she slammed right into someone and let out a loud scream.

She felt the person grab her by the arms and slam her up against the wall and as quick as she could manage she brought her wand up and threw the first spell she could think of at the person. She looked around to see they were gone and she took off running down the hall towards the exit. She felt a spell fly past her head and hit the wall ahead of her, making it blow to pieces. She stopped running when she felt pieces of debris fly at her and she quickly covered her head and face and took cover in a side office.

Before she could make it out of the office, she heard footsteps right outside the door and she quickly ran and hid under the desk. She was trembling from head to toe and firmly had her hand over her mouth and nose to quiet her breathing. She struggled against her sobbing form as she tried to comprehend what just happened. She suddenly heard him enter the room and he just started laughing.

"You know, I thought you would be more...hmm, I don't know, angry? And not as scared," he said, leaning against the door frame looking at the desk that he knew she was behind.

"You killed Kingsley, you psychotic bastard," she spat as she crawled out from under the desk and glared at him.

"Yeah, well, he was just getting in the way," he said looking at her. "You probably have a lot of questions, here," he said, throwing a file down on the desk in front of her.

She hesitantly looked down at the name on the file that read "Thomas Chamberlain". "Thomas was your brother?" she asked as she remembered the story Will told her about him.

She honestly didn't think the story was even true about his brother being killed, she thought it was just some sob story. She picked it up and opened it and scanned a few statements that were in there. Everything suddenly made sense when she read the part about him being killed in some crossfire.

"Draco told me he accidentally killed someone during crossfire...it was Thomas? Your brother?" she said more to herself than him.

"Draco was just causally next on my list anyway on taking down Ex-Death Eaters, but when he killed Thomas that's when I made it personal and gave him my undivided attention," he explained as anger filled his voice.

"It was an accident, an accident that YOU caused since he was just protecting himself from you and your damn cult."

"I don't care what it was, he killed him...plain and simple that's what it is."

"And you fed me that bullshit about you becoming an Auror to stop these people...you ARE these people, you're a part of this entire thing," she said as she started to grow angry.

"I'm actually a very big part of these people since I am the one leading them," he said with that damn charming smile he plastered on his face.

Ginny suddenly remembered the necklace she had and quickly reached down to grab it when Will suddenly threw a binding charm at her, causing her to fall to her knees.

"No, no, no...we can't have that now. I haven't decided if I'm going to kill you yet. To be honest, I thought you were already dead all this time...then when you turned up in Hogsmeade with Draco no less..."

Ginny struggled against the curse to try and free herself, even if she could try and break the necklace Harry said that help would still come.

"Ginny?" he said her name softly as he squatted down in front of her.

She stopped struggling suddenly when she felt him release the charm. He brought his hand up to her face and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as he stared at her.

"I just wanted you to know..." he started talking to her as he pulled out his knife again. "...that it was me personally, who killed your child that night, then gutted you up and left you for dead," he said with an amused chuckle.

The amount of anger Ginny felt towards the man in front of her was enough to make her take that knife in his hand and plunge it into his throat. She was mortified by the fact that all these months she was working with this man, that she went on a date with him and kissed him and even made out with him when the whole time he killed her daughter. He was the one responsible for everything she went through, what Harry went through...and Draco.

"Now my brother, he gets credit for killing Astoria and Blaise, he is usually the one doing the dirty work." Will went on. "That day when you and I discussed the wards around Malfoy Manor, I used Legilimency on you when you started thinking about that disabling charm Narcissa showed you to get those files. That was exactly what I needed to make those wards come down just enough to get in there. I've been using Legilimency on your for a while now, although you do block out more than you think, but you never failed to let me enter your mind at all the right moments, so bravo, Miss Weasley."

She suddenly lunged at him and swung her fist, but he caught it and pushed her roughly backward. She pulled her wand out but was disarmed before she could say a word. She barely noticed him swing his knife at her and felt it slice her side as she tried to get out of the way. She winced at the pain and then quickly moved her head back as he swiped it at her again, this time it missed her throat by a few inches but caught the necklace she had on and cut it off.

"Well, well, I guess we'll have company soon, let's see if they can get to you before I do," he said as he picked up her disarmed wand. "I normally play fair, but now I'm just highly annoyed," he said as he snapped her wand in two pieces and threw it aside.

Ginny felt her breath catch in her throat at the sound of the snapping wood as one of her biggest fears just happened before her eyes. She was always afraid to be left defenseless, and without her wand she was useless. To make matters worse, she was cornered in this room with no way out but the door behind Will.

"Your move, Miss Weasley," he said, waiting for her to decide how she was going to get past him.

She desperately tried to think of something...anything that would get her to that door. She just started to shake her head in defeat and backed up against the wall and slid to the ground. She winced in pain as she felt her side where she was cut and looked at the blood covering her hand.

Will walked over and squatted down in front of her again, he used the blade of his knife to lift her chin up to look at him. "Giving up? Now that's not very thrilling,"

She glared at him with such rage, "Then, by all means, let me step it up for you then," she said through clenched teeth as she pulled out her real wand and shot a Reducto spell at him, making him fly across the room.

She quickly got up and ran out to the hall and took off running as fast as she could. She didn't think replicating her wand again would work on Will, but she was wrong and was so thankful for Narcissa showing her the spell. She saw the exit door ahead and went running towards it and stopped suddenly when she saw one of those guys with a black mask on. She knew if help was coming for her, nobody would be able to apparate inside the Ministry so she had to get outside somehow.

She saw a big window down another hall and ran full speed at it, throwing a Bombarda spell ahead of her to break the glass. After realizing it didn't break all the way she threw another one at it and saw it wasn't having as big of an effect on the glass. She assumed it was probably an extra security measure and threw out one more Bombarda spell just as she was jumping through it.

She felt her body hit the glass hard and then before she knew it, she was face down in the middle of the street. Her entire body was throbbing as she slowly pushed herself up on shaky arms into a kneeling position. She looked at the window that she had just jumped through and seen Will was already there with an amused grin on his face. She barely had time to react to the spell he threw at her and she quickly ducked into a ball as she braced for the impact.

She was surprised when she didn't feel anything but her hair suddenly whip wildly around her face. She peeked her head up to see Harry standing above her with a Protego charm up. She struggled to get up on her hands and knees and stopped when she realized she was more emotional than she thought.

"He killed her," she choked out to Harry.

He turned to look at her.

"Our daughter...it was him...HE KILLED HER!" she screamed out as she saw Will standing outside of the window she just jumped through. He had an amused and satisfied smirk stretched across his face.

Harry turned back to him; rage filling him as he gripped his wand so tightly he swore he heard it snapping from his grasp. He suddenly threw his Protego charm back towards Will, who dodged it will little effort and before Ginny could get to her feet, she was knocked down again by some sort of explosion a few feet away from them. All she heard was ringing in her ears as she attempted to get up again. She looked around and saw a car on the street on fire and then her attention turned to Harry and Will dueling. She had seen Harry duel and fight a few times, but watching him now was different than all the others. He was fighting on pure adrenaline, Will barely had time to dodge any more of the spells that came his way. She even saw him get hit with one of them and turn quite angry. She held her head down as the duel intensified and debris went flying all about.

She finally got up on shaky legs and saw there were more of Will's followers there and she gripped her wand tightly as they made their way towards her. She blocked the first two curses that came at her, but soon there were spells coming from all over the place. She went to lift her wand when she heard the Cruciatus curse leave someone's mouth and she let out a loud scream that pierced the night.

Harry's head snapped over to where Ginny was and then he looked back at Will.

"Well, go on, Harry, save your girl," Will said, gesturing for him to go ahead. "Besides, I have to get a few things in order before our final showdown, that is if you can make it past my men," he said with an evil grin before he apparated out of sight.

Harry went to run over to Ginny when another ten men or so appeared before him, forcing him to take cover behind another car on the street.

Ginny felt the curse lift and she fought so hard to scramble behind something to take cover. She felt so pathetic right now, she knew she was stronger than this and she wanted justice for her daughter so badly. She didn't even notice the man behind her, who grabbed her by the hair and had a knife to her throat. She barely had time to react before the man was hit with a spell from someone else. She turned to see Ron standing a few feet away with Hermione beside him, who quickly ran to her side and helped her take cover behind a small nearby wall.

"Are you ok, Ginny?" She asked her.

Ginny just looked at her with a blank expression before she turned back towards the street and threw a curse at the guy getting ready to run up to them. "There are more of them coming," she said, ignoring Hermione's question.

Hermione just nodded and then followed Ginny back out into the open to help Harry and Ron. Everything was complete chaos at this point, Ginny saw more help arrive, some of which were people she was surprised to see fighting beside her. She felt someone try to grab her from behind again and she elbowed them as hard as she could in the face and was pleased to hear them growl out in pain. She turned around as she whipped her wand at them and sent them flying back against the building across the street.

Another man suddenly disarmed her and she watched her wand roll under one of the many cars lining the street and her heart sank. She quickly made a run over to it and went to crawl underneath, but came face to face with the man who disarmed her before she could attempt to reach it.

"Looks like you're defenseless," he laughed.

Suddenly the man was also disarmed by someone else causing him to turn around.

"Looks like you are too," said Pansy with a smug smile.

The man lunged at her and she quickly ducked down and swiped her leg, making the man fall to the ground. She then jumped on top of him and punched him hard in the face, making him fall unconscious. Another man grabbed her from behind and she quickly reached across for his arm and flipped him onto his back before she twisted his arm back enough until she heard a snap. The man yelled out in pain and she did a quick stomp to his face, making him fall silent.

"That was bloody brilliant," Ginny said, as she watched the way Pansy held her own.

She just shrugged with a smirk, "Maybe I'll show you a thing or two, Weasley."

"Well, well, Miss Parkinson, it has been a WHILE," yelled a voice from behind Ginny and Pansy.

Ginny saw it was Will's brother Joe and he had that sadistic smile on his face like he always had whenever Ginny had seen him. She noticed Pansy's confident and hard expression turn to one of disgust, anger and a bit of fear. She didn't say anything to his comment.

"Aw, come on now, don't tell me you forgot about our special night?" he said with a wide grin as he walked closer to them. "How many of us got a turn with you? I lost count after a while with all that screaming and struggling you were doing." he laughed.

Ginny put her hand over her mouth to suppress the shocked gasp that erupted from her as she snapped her head over to Pansy.

"Don't act so shocked, Ginny, surely you remember our special one on one session? No? Hmm, it must have been one of those OTHER memories that Harry kept from you."

"W-wh-what?" She asked, her legs buckling from underneath her.

"Oh, no worries, your precious Potter got to you before anything could happen, but dear Pansy here...she wasn't as lucky. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" he said with a wide smile.

Pansy's eyes welled with tears, but her expression was filled with rage as she whipped her wand so fast and hit Joe with a curse. He was barely affected by it as he chuckled at how much anger she had for him.

Ginny took her chance to crawl under the car and grab her wand. Just as she grabbed it, she felt someone grab her by the ankle and pulled her roughly out from underneath, causing her back to scrape against the cobblestone ground. She let out a growl of pain before she was being pinned down by one of the men. He had her wrists tightly held down as she fought to hold onto her wand.

She managed to turn her wrist enough to point it at him. "Stupefy," she quickly said as he flew back off of her.

Once again, she found herself struggling to get up and her eyes snapped over to Pansy when she saw Joe shoot out a spell at her that slammed her into the windshield of a car. Ginny quickly started shooting curses at him, but none of them were doing any damage. She soon realized he had a full body Protego charm on and nothing she threw at him was working. She saw him pull his knife out as he stood over Pansy and without giving it a second thought, she ran full speed right at him and fell to the ground with him.

She saw him swing the knife at her and she quickly rolled out of the way. She scrambled to get up and he quickly grabbed her and slammed her face first into the wall of a nearby building. He was quick, she barely had time to think about her next move when he already had his hands on her again.

"Now, now Ginny, we've barely spent any time together. I do rather enjoy your company...but I'm sure I'll enjoy gutting you even more," he said as he sliced through the air.

She tried to get out of the way, but he ended up slicing the side of her face and she let out a loud gasp of pain. She brought her hand up to her cheek and saw the blood all over it. He just wore this victorious smile as he watched her bleed. She swung the back of her fist so hard at him and was surprised when she felt it collide with his face and he stumbled backward a bit.

She watched him bring his thumb up to his mouth and wipe a few drops of blood from it before he looked at her. "Well, I didn't expect that from you, but that's ok...I rather like a challenge," he said with a smirk.

Her eyes quickly went to Harry, who was desperately trying to get to her but kept getting dragged into another duel with one of the men. Her eyes snapped back to Joe who went to reach forward to grab her and she swung her hand once more at him. This time he caught her wrist and twisted her around so rough that she felt her shoulder pop and let out a loud painful scream. He pulled her to him so that her back was to him and he leaned in toward her ear.

"One of the things I love the most about using something much more physical to kill a person..." he said, taking his knife and bringing it up to her neck. "...is being able to feel that warm blood spill from their body," he said with amusement as he started to press the point into her neck making her whimper out in pain.

She felt him reach up to her side where Will had cut her earlier and he grabbed her waist making her scream out in pain. He just laughed at her screams and turned her to face him then took his bloody hand with her blood on it and wiped it all down her face. He rubbed his thumb roughly over her lips making Ginny taste her own blood.

"Don't worry, the next time I have you all to myself...your precious Potter won't interrupt us," he said, sliding his hand down between her breasts.

He was suddenly blasted backward by a spell that hit him and Ginny turned to see it was Narcissa and Lucius. Joe jumped to his feet and just shook his head at the sight of them.

"Oh, I suppose it's time to go. I've been given very specific orders not to kill you, Mrs. Malfoy...my brother has something rather special planned for you," he said with a menacing smile.

"I look forward to it," she drawled with a sneer as she threw one last curse his way that hit him and went through his full body Protego charm.

He got up again with a rather angry look and just nodded at her. "Alright...you all have no idea...just no fuckin idea." he spat before he signaled to the other men to back down.

As soon as Harry had a chance he had Ginny in his arms and he was looking her over head to toe. "Are you ok?"

She just stared at him as a single tear slid down her face. "Please take me home," she choked out.

Before Ginny knew it, Harry grabbed her to him and apparated back to the Burrow.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"This is going to hurt," Narcissa said softly.

Ginny just nodded and turned away from and looked at Harry sitting on the other side of her. His face was filled with sadness and also some anger as he looked at her dislocated shoulder. Narcissa waved her wand and Ginny grabbed Harry's arm as she let out a muffled cry against his chest as he scooted closer to comfort her.

"Sorry, Ginny, here...drink this," she said, handing her a pain relief potion.

She drank it and then Narcissa started to look at the wound on her side. She glanced over at Harry when they both noticed Ginny hadn't said a word since they got back.

"Harry, why don't you take over for a moment...I'll be back in a few," she said, getting up and joining the others in the kitchen.

He lifted her shirt over her shoulder and took in her many cuts and bruises.

"Pansy was raped by these guys...by Joe," Ginny suddenly said in a small voice as she stared down at the cuts on her hands.

He let out a soft sigh, "Yeah," he said, as he gently grabbed the washrag off the side table and started wiping up the blood from her cut.

"And they he tried to...with me?" she asked as she turned to look at him with tears in her eyes.

"Yes," he said quietly. "Gin, I-"

"It's ok...I don't think...I don't want to remember something like that. Thank you for saving me from something so awful." she said softly.

He looked at her with sad eyes and nodded. "I only destroyed those memories because..." he trailed off.

"I understand," she said, looking at him. "He killed Kingsley...right in front of me...it was horrible," she whispered.

He didn't know what to say, he just finished healing her cut and then gently helped her pull her shirt down. He sat down in front of her and gently grabbed her face with one hand and brushed her hair behind her ear. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead before he sat back on the couch and let her lay her head in his lap.

"I'll tell you all about the Order in the morning, tonight you need to rest because we have to start working on our plan," he said.

She looked up at him. "What plan?"

"I'm going to help you break Draco out of Azkaban...we all are."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to handle this place, the constant yelling and cries from other prisoners were unbearable. He just kept thinking of Ginny to try and get him through each hour.

"Mr. Malfoy," came a voice from outside of the cell. "I have some good news."

Draco jumped to his feet and walked over to the cell door. "Chamberlain? What news would that be? Did you finally figure out I didn't kill anyone?" he asked.

"Yes, indeed I did," he said with a smirk.

Draco perked up at the news. "Well, that's great, now get me out of here," he said impatiently.

"Now why would I do that?" he asked, looking at Draco through the bars.

"What? Stop fuckin around and let me out of here," he said with a sneer.

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen...Mr. Malfoy. Now you remember my brother, I'm sure?" he asked as Joes walked up to the cell and looked at Draco with the biggest smirk.

Draco knew he would always remember the face of the man who killed Astoria and right now he was standing on the other side of the cell door.

"YOU! YOU SON OF A-" he was cut off by a wave of pain shooting through his body, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Y-You...it was you all this time?" he said through his painful panting.

"That boy you killed...that was our brother, but don't worry Draco. We are making sure you pay for that in every way possible." Will spat as he threw the necklace he cut off of Ginny's neck on the floor of the cell.

Draco picked it up and held it in his hands before glaring up at Will and Joe. "How did you get this?" he demanded.

"Oh, that...well it was rather easy to remove after I killed her," he said with an evil smile.

"Ginny's...dead?" he asked more to himself than anyone else.

He jumped up so fast and went to grab Will through the bars but wasn't quick enough.

"YOU FUCKIN BASTARD! I'LL FUCKIN KILL YOU, I SWEAR!" He cried out.

He was so overcome with emotion he could barely stand and fell to the floor in a fit of sobs. Will squatted down in front of him and just shook his head. "I just want you to know, she screamed all the way up to the very end," he said with a maniacal laugh as he stood up and left the prison with Joe.

Draco couldn't even fathom the thought of not having Ginny in his life or that she was even killed. There was nothing he could even do from in here and even if he wasn't stuck in here what did it matter at this point? Ginny was dead and he had nothing to live for anymore, she was the last thing in his life that he looked forward to every day when he woke up. Her smile replayed in his head like a silent movie as her soft giggle would occasionally ring through his ears as he broke down into an emotional mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okkkkk, so what did you think? I know many of you expected that already, but hopefully everything makes sense now. PLEASE REVIEW!


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this chapter took so long, I've been working a lot and I've been so tired!
> 
> Don't forget to check out my Facebook group where I post story updates and chapter previews! I would love to talk up the story with you guys!
> 
> Here is the link : https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/

She hit the floor hard and slid a few feet across it before she jumped back to her feet and ran at her again. She swung her fists and arms wildly through the air, but her strikes kept being blocked from causing any damage. She felt another kick to her stomach and fell to the ground once more on her back. She pulled herself to her feet again, not caring about how tired she was, how much pain her body was in, she had to do this, she had to learn.

"Let's take a break," Pansy said to the redhead.

Ginny just kept shaking her head, "No, I want to keep practicing," she managed to get out through her heavy breathing.

"Ginny, we've been practicing for hours, I didn't learn how to fight in one day; it takes time."

"I DON'T HAVE TIME!" she yelled at her.

They were both quiet.

"How's it going?" Harry asked, walking into the training room of Malfoy Manor.

"She's getting there, but-"

"BUT WHAT?" Ginny snapped loudly.

Pansy looked at Harry "But that," she said before gesturing for him to take over as she left the room.

Ginny just got into position and waved Harry over to practice with her. She quickly threw her sweaty hair up into a messy bun and then took her stance.

"Gin, I think you need to take a break," he said.

"Bloody fuckin hell, Harry, I'm fine, now come on," she demanded as she impatiently waited for him to approach her.

He watched her for a moment as she fidgeted around with her hands and rubbed her face in an attempt to keep herself alert and focused. It had only been less than two days since the attack at the Ministry and Ginny was still sore from her injuries that day. Although everyone insisted that she rest and take it easy for at least a day, she was set on practicing her magic and her hand to hand combat. They had only been at the Manor or the Burrow under the protection of the wards since Kingsley was killed. The Wizarding world outside of the wards was nothing but a danger zone for them now. Harry had made plans to try and get to Azkaban to see Draco and let him know what was going on, but the Ministry had seemed to have fallen apart since Kingsley's death. While Will was still playing Mr. nice guy to all other Ministry officials, it was easy for him to take the reins and soon had people taking orders from him. As for questions about Kingsley's death, Will had come up with a very elaborate and convincing story about how he was murdered.

"Let's take a break, Gin," he said, reaching forward to lead her out of the room.

She quickly squirmed away from him, "No, JUST...please don't touch me," she said, holding her arm away from him.

She closed her eyes and squeezed them shut to try and soak up the tears that suddenly welled up in them and turned away from him. She started pacing the room as she felt herself starting to fall apart.

Harry gave her a sad look; his heart was aching for her. "Gin-"

"I'm sorry, I just...I just need a minute," she said through an emotional sigh as she wiped the few tears quickly away that slid down her face. "I feel like I'm losing my mind, Harry." she cried. "I'm just so tired...I'm so tired, Harry. I feel like I failed Draco...our daughter...you."

"Hey, don't say that," he said, attempting to gently grab her hand.

She backed up against the wall and held her hand away from him again. She just started crying harder and shaking her head at him. "Please just leave me alone...I know I don't have that memory of what Joe almost did to me, but I feel so...just..." she couldn't finish her sentence as she started sobbing uncontrollably as she slid to the floor. "And knowing that the whole time h-he was the one who k-killed her? How could I not know? I'm so stupid...I'm so stupid, Harry. I didn't know... and it is KILLING me," she choked out through her trembling body as her tears streamed freely down her face.

Harry sat down on the floor in front of her; he remembered how hard it was for Pansy to move on from the horrid experience she had with these men. He still wasn't sure if she had, but seeing Ginny so broken and in such a vulnerable state made him emotional as well. The fact that he and Ginny worked alongside Will for so long was more upsetting than anything. He knew how she felt; he trusted the man for so long because he never had a reason not to. He was always right there whenever Harry needed him and didn't ask questions whenever Harry asked him to do something unethical like covering up prints to protect Ginny and Draco. He felt like a damn fool and hated himself for not being more skeptical of his loyalty when Ginny first questioned him about Will.

Her crying echoed throughout the arena and made his heart crumble to pieces. He wanted to grab her and hold her in his arms and tell her nobody would ever hurt her again. He wanted to wipe her tears away because he couldn't stand the thought of her being sad or feeling any kind of pain. Every time he thought her crying couldn't get any worse, she would let out another heartbreaking sob that had her whole body shaking from head to toe.

"How could you even look at me right now? After I went around kissing and making out with our daughter's murderer," she suddenly snapped at him. "The whole time...I..." she just fell into another fit of sobs.

Harry scooted over to her so that he was sitting beside her on the floor. He put his arm around her and gave her a firm squeeze to let her know he wasn't going anywhere, no matter how many times she pushed him away. She finally caved in and buried her face in his chest and continued crying.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny's eyes snapped open as she woke up from a nightmare. It was nothing like the ones she had before; they were mostly just about Draco rotting away in Azkaban or being killed. She looked around the dark room of her bedroom at the Burrow and got out of bed and walked over to the window. She looked out into the night sky where she so often found herself enjoying a broom ride. She let out a small sigh as her eyes suddenly caught something across the field outside of the wards. It didn't take her long before she realized it was Will and even though it was a far distance she could tell he was staring right at her through her window.

She just stared at him for a minute, not even trying to figure out how he could see her through the wards. She grabbed her wand and threw on her sweater before she made her way outside and across the field. Once she approached the edge of the ward she took a second to think about what she did next and stepped through it until she was face to face with her daughter's killer.

"Pretty brave of you to step outside of your precious wards, Ginny," he said, a slight smirk tugging at his lips.

She just glared at him, "What do you want?"

"How do you know I want something?"

"Because I'd be dead already if you came here to kill me, besides, I'm sure you didn't make a late night trip out here just to off me...you want something," she said with a sneer as her hate and disgust for him dripped off every word she spat at him.

He just gave her an impressed look before he nodded. "I'll make you a deal, Ginny Weasley."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "What kind of deal could you possibly offer me that would be in my benefit?" she asked angrily.

"I would be willing to...leave you and your family...friends...all of them alone. Not harm a single hair on any of their heads-"

"If?" Ginny cut him off.

"IF... Narcissa Malfoy turns herself over to me. Now she could come quietly OR...I'm sure you could come up with some sort of plan to hand her over to me."

"What do you want with Narcissa?"

He just gave her this wide evil smile. "She possesses a very knowledgeable amount of skills I can only dream to ever learn. Now, as much as I know, and I know A LOT, there is still so much more valuable information I must get from her."

"She would never tell you anything," she snapped at him.

"Oh, I know...I'm going to take it from her...I will literally dig through her mind until she is left as nothing more than a mindless twit."

"I can't believe the kind of person I once thought you to be," she hissed.

He just gave her another smirk. "Ah, yes...our first lunch date together, charming wasn't I? If I'm being honest...I did develop a soft spot for you, Ginny, but then I had to remind myself to stick to my plan."

She just gave him one final glare before she went to step back through the wards when he quickly grabbed her arm to stop her. "Think about it," he warned her.

She just stared at him with hate and anger. "I want to see Draco," she suddenly said.

He released her arm, "There's no need for that anymore." he casually said.

"What does that mean? He's not-"

"Dead? Oh, no, no...not yet, however, after I gave him your necklace to prove that I killed you... I think death is the only thing left that he has to look forward to." he said with a grin.

Ginny reached forward and slapped him hard across the face. He reached up and touched the spot where she hit him and just smirked at her once more.

Ginny was suddenly in his face as her hands were balled into such tight fists, she felt her nails digging into her palms. "You may think you have all the answers and all the information you need to carry out your so-called plan, but I promise...I fuckin swear it...you will be the one who loses in the end...I won't rest until I see you dead." she snapped before she stepped back through the ward.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harry was making his way downstairs the next morning and stopped at Ginny's room and peeked his head in to check on her. He saw she wasn't there and then made his way downstairs to the kitchen and saw she wasn't there either.

"Gin?" he called out into the living room from the kitchen doorway.

He walked out back and soon realized she wasn't home. He gave a soft sigh before he apparated to the only other place that she had been running off to the last few days.

He knocked on the door and waited a few moments before Lucius opened it. "She's upstairs," he said when he saw the look on Harry's face.

"Thanks," he said before he made his way up to Draco's bedroom.

He walked into the bedroom and saw her lying on the bed facing the other way. He made his way around to her and was surprised to see she was awake as her eyes traveled to his. He didn't say anything, he knew why she was here; he just took a seat next to her as she sat up.

"I miss him, Harry," she softly said.

"I know, Gin," he said, putting his arm around her and pulling her to him.

"And now Draco thinks I'm dead."

"Why would he think that?"

She pulled back from him a bit to look at him. "I have to tell you something."

He looked at her expression. "What did you do?" he asked her.

"Will was outside of the wards last night...and I went out there to talk to him," she said in a small voice.

Harry wanted to scream at her and ask her why the hell she would ever do something so stupid, but he knew responding that way was only going to piss Ginny off.

"I'm sorry, I know it was stupid...but I just had a feeling he wasn't going to kill me-"

"A BLOODY FEELING? Ginny..." he stopped himself and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Ginny-"

"He wanted us to give him Narcissa...he said he would leave us alone if we did," she explained.

"You didn't tell the Malfoys about this, did you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Should we?"

"No, Narcissa will do it and I won't let that happen."

Ginny just nodded and then gave a frustrated sigh, "I asked to see Draco...of course he said it didn't matter anymore because he told Draco he killed me. He even gave him the necklace I had as proof-"

"Wait, Will had your necklace with the coin? And then he gave it to Draco?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, why?"

A smile suddenly stretched across his face, "We need to call a meeting because I think I just figured out our way into Azkaban."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So what do you think?" Harry asked her.

She looked at him and then back at the coin in her hand. "I think...it's genius and it could definitely work," Hermione said with a wide smile.

Ginny couldn't remember the last time she smiled like this or actually felt hopeful about the situation they were in.

"So what's the plan?" Seamus asked.

"Well, Will let it slip that he gave Draco Ginny's coin necklace, so since we use the necklaces to locate each other whenever we're in trouble then I think I can work out some way of getting us there," Hermione explained.

"That would be impressive if you can pull it off...I think I can help with that," Narcissa said.

Hermione gave an appreciative nod. "Since the coins are all connected, we might be able to-"

"Portkey someone into Azkaban," Narcissa finished.

"Exactly," she said.

"Hermione, that's perfect. Once I get in there I can bring another Portkey with me to get the rest of you in-"

"Well...there is one problem,"Hermione spoke up.

"What is it, Hermione?" Ginny asked, worried that something would stop them from following through with the plan.

"Being that it's Ginny's necklace and it only responds to her touch...it would have to be her to go through. Otherwise, the Portkey won't work...it's not your normal Portkey...we are making some makeshift one...it has to be her."

"No, definitely not, let's think of something else," Harry said firmly.

"But Harry-"

"I SAID NO!" he yelled, slamming his hands on the table before he left the Zabini's dining room.

Hermione looked at Ginny and gave her a nod towards the direction Harry had stormed off.

Ginny made her way outside to the front of the house and saw him sitting on the steps. She gave a small smile when she saw him run his hand through his hair in frustration. She took a seat beside him on the steps and just watched him for a moment.

"Harry, why won't you let me do this? I mean, I know the obvious reasons why, but if this is the only way... then I'm doing it," she said as calmly as she could.

He turned to look at her. "Ginny..." he trailed off with a heavy sigh and then looked at her again. "I know that this is probably the only way given the time we have, but I'm going to be a bit blunt with you."

She raised an eyebrow at his words. "Go on," she said.

"It's extremely dangerous to send you in there, especially since you've seemed to have your head up your arse."

She opened her mouth to go off into defense mode when Harry quickly continued before she could speak.

"Gin, I just mean...with everything going on...you haven't been able to focus, especially when it comes to being up against these guys. You've done brilliantly getting out of each of these unfortunate situations you've found yourself in, but I'm afraid that you're not going to be able to keep a level head once you're in there," he explained.

She opened her mouth to say something but closed it once she let his words settle in. She turned her body towards him a bit and just gave a slight nod.

"I just...I feel this incredible amount of pressure to get justice for Lily...for us...for Draco and everyone else these bastards have hurt. I am afraid to fail, Harry, I've never wanted to kill someone before, but when I think about everything that Will has done...there's nothing I've ever wanted more." she said as her emotions caught in her throat. "I know I can do this because I don't want to fail and I refuse to fail...I need to save him, please...please trust me enough to see this through." she pleaded with him.

His eyes locked with hers; he could see the lust for revenge in her eyes and for some reason that gave him some weird sense of comfort. He knew when Ginny was angry enough, she could do the impossible and that's what she was going to need going forward. It wasn't like her to be scared of a fight or buckle under pressure...she was a force to be reckoned with.

He nodded in agreement and she let him pull her into a one-armed hug. "Just one thing, you can't kill Chamberlain."

She looked up at him. "Why not?"

"Because I am."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It had been almost four days since Draco was taken to Azkaban and Ginny was worried sick about him. She had only heard stories of how bad the prison was and had heard of people going mad within the first few hours of being there. She knew Draco was stronger than that, but the fact that Will told him that she was dead made her question Draco's mental state right now.

She knew she had just given Harry this speech yesterday evening about how she was ready to do this, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. She was most nervous about not succeeding when it came to getting Draco out of there.

"Ginny, are you listening?"

She snapped her head to the side to look at Harry as they made their way down the hall of Malfoy Manor.

"Sorry, what?" she asked again, giving him an apologetic look.

"If Draco still has the necklace, then you'll Portkey right into the cell, but if something happened to it or it ended up anywhere else then you'll end up there instead," he explained.

She nodded.

"Azkaban has a pretty simple layout, the cells line the walls and you can see clear down to the bottom floor in the center. Your best bet is to take all of our coins and just toss them over the railing when you get there. This way when the rest of us Portkey in to our coins location, we can be scattered about for more coverage." Hermione said, handing her a small bag with the Order's coins in it.

She nodded again.

"Another thing, Gin, Azkaban is as you know extremely secured. There are also Aurors that guard the prison along with Dementors, but knowing the kind of person Will is, he probably has some of his own people guarding it. Being that nobody is able to apparate in or out of the prison and you can't technically use a Portkey; the fact that we have this makeshift Portkey through advanced magic will most likely set off an alarm. I don't know how quickly they will catch the use of magic there, but you need to be ready as soon as your feet hit the ground." Harry continued.

"Ok, got it," she said, although she was feeling rather overwhelmed with all the information being thrown at her.

Narcissa waved her wand over Ginny's head and she felt a cool sensation run through her.

"That is a full body Protego charm, they only last about ten minutes. It won't protect you from physical harm or the Dementors. It will only block magic spells from hitting you. Hopefully, that will get you and Draco out of that cell before it wears off," she said with a small smile.

She gave a small nod as a thank you and then her head snapped over to Lucius.

"As soon as you get there the Dementors won't waste any time coming after you. They can sense it and believe me...fresh meat is something they are drawn to," he said, giving her a firm stare.

Ginny tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it seemed like it was permanently stuck there.

"You've been practicing your Patronus, right?" Harry asked.

She nodded.

"Good, hopefully, that will be enough until I can get there, just don't forget to throw those coins as soon as you land," he said, gently grabbing her shoulders and looking at her. "You're right...you can do this and you're going to be fine," he reassured her with a smile before he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Take this Ginny; hopefully Draco is well enough to use it," Narcissa said, handing her Draco's wand. "One other thing just so you are aware, unfortunately, Draco has never been able to produce a Patronus before, so I'm afraid he won't be much help when it comes to the Dementors," she said with a sad smile.

"Got it," she said with a nod.

She felt Ron throw his arm over her shoulders and lead her over to where the rest of her brothers were. "Now remember, Gin, you're a far more advanced witch than you've given yourself credit for. Just remember how much of a badass Quidditch player you are...that could definitely come in handy if you get into some physical altercations," he said with a shrug.

"And don't forget how many times you've out-pranked Fred and I back in the day," George reminded her with a sly smile.

"And of course, how many times you've sent us running with our tail between our legs with that bloody temper of yours," said Bill with a smirk.

"Just get in there and kick some arse, Gin," said Charlie, grabbing her into a big bear hug.

She gave her parents a hug and had to practically force herself out of her mother's grasp before she made her way back over to Narcissa.

"Don't forget how you also always somehow cunningly made your way inside of the Manor," Narcissa mumbled to her quietly with a smirk.

She gave a small giggle and then felt her pants for her wand and to make sure she had everything she needed.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked her.

She let out a shaky breath and was quiet for a moment before she nodded. She wasn't sure where she would be ending up in there and what worried her more was what condition Draco would be in. Was it possible he received the Dementor's kiss? Was he dead? Was he even still sane after hearing what Will told him? She had a million questions running through her head as she shook her hands free of her nerves and approached the Portkey.

"The Portkey will activate as soon as you touch it since it's been charmed to locate its sister coin, which happens to be on the necklace Harry gave you." Hermione reminded her.

Ginny gave one last final nod before she locked eyes with Harry, who gave her a comforting smile as she reached forward and grabbed the coin from Hermione. She suddenly felt her head starting to spin and the room before her disappeared from view and everything went black.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  
Ginny's feet hit the floor so hard she felt a burning sensation through her legs and she stumbled a bit backward and found her balance against the wall she fell into. She could barely make out anything around her with how dark the prison was. The sound of screaming immediately filled her ears and the way it echoed throughout the cells was hard to tolerate. She was in the corner of a cell and she suddenly realized she was in Azkaban Prison and the thought alone sent a shiver down her spine.

She walked over to the bars of the cell door and heard the screaming getting louder. She soon realized it was not just one person, it was a few prisoners who were just completely insane at this point. Some of the stuff they were screaming was nonsense, but others were crying and begging for death. She took a few steps back at the horrid conditions and the deafening cries and screams that ripped through her and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

She suddenly felt her foot step on something and looked down to see her necklace on the ground. She picked it up and looked at it for a moment before she took a closer look around the dark cell and finally saw someone sitting in the corner on the floor.

"Draco?" she whispered out.

She took a few steps closer and soon realized it was him and her heart seemed to have smiled. Her heart suddenly ached when she saw he was still in his suit from the party the night they took him away. His perfectly white buttoned shirt was wrinkled, ripped and covered in dirt and what looked like blood. He was just sitting there with his arms resting on his knees and his head hanging down. He didn't even know she was there...was he dead? She wondered for a moment as she got closer to him.

"Draco? Hey, it's me, Ginny," she said a little louder.

She knew to prepare herself for the worst; she knew he might not be in a good mental state if and when she found him. She could only imagine how these prisoners must feel having the Dementors around and sucking every living ounce of joy from the air.

She saw him lift his head a bit to look at her and he let out a groan as he grabbed his hair and turned away from her. "Not again," he pleaded with her. "Just leave me alone already."

She wasn't sure what he meant, but her heart was breaking as he seemed to be fighting with his mind as he rubbed his face roughly before he attempted to look at her again. "I just need to wake up," he whispered to himself as his nails dug into the skin of his forehead as he attempted to wake himself up.

Ginny knelt down beside him and went to touch him when backed away from her. "Stop, please stop doing this to me...I...I know you're not real, but you keep wanting me to believe that you are. I know you're not because you're dead...you're dead," he kept saying over and over again.

Ginny felt the tears spill from her eyes as his words shattered her heart. "Draco, I'm not dead, I promise. Will just told you that to torture you, it's really me," she said as she reached forward and gently touched his hand.

She then grabbed his face in her hands and looked into his eyes; they were bloodshot and swollen and he had a rather large gash on his head. The vulnerable state she found him in made her want to break-down right here with him, but as she stared into his mercury eyes...those beautiful, mysterious silver orbs that she loved so much...she knew he was still there.

"Hey, look at me...look at me, Draco," she said firmly as he tried to turn away from her grip. "I am very much alive and I'm going to get you out of here. "Lumos" she whispered as a stream of light spilled from her wand and lit the small cell up.

The light hit her face and lit up her amber eyes as he studied her face for what seemed like forever.

"Ginny?" he said in an almost inaudible voice.

She nodded with a smile. "I would have brought muffins, but given the circumstances-"

She was cut off when he pulled her to him and buried his face in her hair. She could feel him trying to hold his emotions inside, but his trembling body made Ginny hold him tightly against her.

"I thought you were dead," he said quietly as he pulled back and looked at her face once more.

She smiled at him and brought her hand up to caress his face before she leaned forward and pressed her lips very softly against his. It was like confirmation for Draco once he felt her lips on his because she felt him pull her closer to him and kiss her deeper.

"Hey, we have to go," she said suddenly as she pulled back.

She pulled out his wand and handed it to him, "Are you ok to-"

He cut her off with a quick nod as he took his wand from her.

She ran over to the cell door again and wrapped her hand around one of the bars to gauge how sturdy the metal was. She hissed out in pain as she felt something cold hit her hand and realized the bars suddenly iced over. She felt a sudden shiver run through her body and her hand reached for the bag full of coins. She poured them into the palm of her hand and reached her hand out through the bars as she felt the freezing ice against her skin as the Dementors started closing in. She tossed the coins as far she could and heard them all hit different levels of the prison.

She suddenly jumped back in surprise when a Dementor was right in front of her. She felt Draco catch her when she slipped on the ice-covered floor and quickly scrambled to get to her feet. She pointed her wand at the dark figure before her as she felt its presence starting to affect her.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" She yelled out.

This bright light spilled from her wand and formed into this beautiful wild horse that took off towards the Dementor and any other ones surrounding the cell. She threw a Bombarda spell at the icy bars and went to take cover when she felt Draco's arms around her to shield her from the debris. She knew it had only been four days since she saw him last, but the feel of him against her made her heart soar. She felt him grab her hand and drag her with him outside of the cell and started running to find a way out.

At this point, Ginny could hear fighting in the distance and knew the coins had worked. The Aurors at the prison and the Dementors were very much aware of the intrusion and it was complete chaos all around. She felt spells flying past her as she ran as fast as her legs would carry her with Draco's hand laced with hers.

The ground ahead of them suddenly collapsed, making them both fall to the lower level. She blocked out all pain and crawled over to Draco.

"Are you ok?" She asked, as she already had her hand on his arm to pull him up and keep going.

He gave a quick nod before he pulled himself up and kept going. She felt for him, she knew these last few days had taken a toll on his body and his head wound looked like it required stitches. Before either of them could make it a step further there were Dementors surrounding them. Ginny attempted to turn to go a different way, but there was one right in front of her face and she suddenly heard crying. She knew that cry too well from the horrible nightmares she had been having...the sound of her daughter. She could hear her own blood-curdling screams from that night...she could even smell the blood that poured from her.

She felt herself becoming light headed and the only thing that kept her from passing out was this blinding bright light that gently glided over her face. She felt her hair whip wildly around her as she turned to see Draco had been affected by the Dementors also. They both exchanged a quick look before they saw Harry's Patronus completely fill the prison and made every Dementor back off. Ginny couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips at seeing how magnificent Harry's Patronus was.

"Are you guys ok?" Harry asked, running to their side.

They both nodded and quickly got to their feet and started making their way down towards the lower levels. They had not only Aurors throwing spells at them, but prisoners that escaped their cells from the numerous explosive spells being thrown around were randomly attacking them from their unstable state of mind.

Ginny could make out most of the other Order members also making their way out of the prison as she glanced around during her sprint to the exit. She suddenly stopped in her tracks when she saw Will across the way staring right at her. He had an entertained smirk across his face that made Ginny's blood boil. She went to make her way over to him when Harry grabbed her arm roughly and dragged her with him the rest of the way.

"I know how much you want to get to him, but now is not the right time or place," he said firmly before he gave a small growl of pain.

This made Ginny snap out of her hatred for Will for a moment and look at Harry holding his side. He was bleeding from a spell that hit him, but before Ginny could show any kind of concern, he kept dragging her along until they got outside. Ginny felt the strong breeze from the water around them hit her face and she soon realized they didn't have anywhere else to run unless they apparated out of there.

After everyone else made it outside, Ginny saw Narcissa grab Draco into a hug and look him over as she gave him a small smile. He just shook his head at his mother's open affection and concern for him. She saw her mum across the way looking Ron over and all her other children before she was making her way over to her next.

She turned to Harry, "That looks pretty bad-"

"It's fine, Gin, we need to get out of here. EVERYONE, LET'S GET BACK TO THE ZABINI'S!" he yelled out suddenly.

They all attempted to apparate, but nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide.

"I don't know," Harry said, as he looked over to Hermione or Narcissa to see if maybe one of them knew.

They all suddenly fell to their knees in pain like that time back at Malfoy Manor when they were attacked. After a few moments it wore off and Ginny managed to pull herself back up onto shaky legs with the help of Draco, who found his way over to her. She watched Will make his way outside to them all; his presence was calm as he slowly made his way towards them with his hands folded behind his back. There was this eerie feeling in the air suddenly as Will approached them.

"Well, well...I certainly have to give you all kudos for getting to this point," he said with a smirk.

Harry went to go shoot a spell at him, but he was unable to perform any sort of magic...all of them were.

"With Kingsley out of the way I'm able to have a lot more...control over things," he said with a grin. "NOW! On to the matter at hand," he said, nodding towards one of his men.

Joe came walking out of the prison and he had Arthur with him that he must have grabbed during the chaos.

"DAD!" Ginny yelled, getting ready to run over to him.

"No, no, no, Ginny Weasley," Will quickly said as Joe held a knife up to her father's throat. "Stay put or I'll spill his blood without a second thought."

Both Harry and Draco had a firm grip on each of her arms to stop her from going any further.

"Let's do a trade," Will said with a wide evil smile. "See, I asked you, Ginny, to give me Narcissa Malfoy...and you refused."

Every eye was on her at this comment as she glanced over to Narcissa and Lucius, who looked surprised.

"I even offered to leave you and your family in peace if you did so and you STILL decided not to." he continued.

She turned to Draco, "I'm sorry, I couldn't," she said softly.

"None of us would turn on the other just to save ourselves." Harry spat.

Will just looked at him, "Hm, indeed, tell you what I'll do. If Mrs. Malfoy comes quietly...then I won't kill dear Arthur right here." he said.

Narcissa went to walk over to him when Lucius grabbed her arm. "Narcissa...don't," he said, looking at her.

She placed her hand gently on his before her eyes traveled over to Ginny and her family. "Come back for me," she whispered to him.

He gave her a firm nod before she leaned forward a placed a kiss on his cheek. She made her way over to Will, who waved his wand and bound her hands.

"Perfect," he said with a smile. "See how easy this is when you all listen."

"Let my father go, you said you would trade him for Narcissa," Bill said with a snarl.

Will just looked at him and then back over to Arthur before he pulled out a knife. "Yeah, but I lied," he said before he brought the blade back and stabbed Mr. Weasley right in the chest.

Draco felt the grip he had on Ginny's arm earlier release as she fell to the ground and let out this heartbreaking scream. Nobody seemed to be able to take in what was happening as Will brought the knife back once more and stabbed him again. He looked over at Mrs. Weasley, who was screaming out in agony. Everyone was hysterical, but for some reason, all screaming was replaced with this ringing in his ears as he watched Arthur fall to the ground. He heard his heartbeat in his ears and was suddenly brought back to reality when he saw Ginny take off running towards Will.

Before anyone could get to Will or Joe they stopped when Will reached into his pocket and had all of the coins they used as Portkeys to get into the prison.

"Let's see how many of you survive without each other and without the help of magic," he said as he threw out the coins making them all fly in different directions.

Draco felt one hit his chest and suddenly felt himself being Portkeyed somewhere. The only thing he remembered feeling was hitting the ground and having the smell of wet grass fill his nose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I'm so sorry to have done that to you all and it was a last minute decision...Don't hate me...hate Will XD! PLEASE REVIEW!


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, how is everyone liking the story so far? I didn't get as many reviews on the last chapter and I love hearing what you guys think, so pleaseeeee let a girl know, lol.
> 
> Also, If you haven't joined my Facebook fanfic group yet here is the link.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/
> 
> I post chapter previews on there and update you on when the next chapter will be out and just start up some Drinny conversations =D
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!

He opened his eyes and was greeted with a blue sky that was shining through a few trees. He blinked a few times to adjust his eyes and he suddenly heard the sound of what he swore was vomiting. He hissed out in pain as he reached up and touched the gash on his head and realized he was bleeding a lot more. He managed to sit up and looked over to the person coughing and throwing up a few feet away.

"Granger?"

Hermione spit the last few bits of bile from her mouth before she wiped her face with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry," she choked out before she reached into her famous bottomless bag and pulled out a bottle of water and rinsed her mouth.

She picked herself up as if she wasn't just falling apart a second ago and made her way over and sat down right in front of him. She pulled out some first aid supplies and went to reach up to look at his head when he slapped her hand away.

"I'm fine," he snapped.

She didn't say anything to him, and when she didn't it made him look up at her and he saw her starting to cry. She buried face in her hands as she sobbed and he didn't blame her. He couldn't believe Arthur was killed right in front of them. The mere thought of it made his eyes well with tears and he quickly brought his hand up to them to soak up any tears that threatened to spill. Then there was his mother, who at this point he didn't even know what kind of fate awaited her...and of course, Ginny. Where was she and what kind of state was she in?

His eyes traveled to Hermione again, who was desperately trying to stop crying as she kept wiping away tears but they were replaced with fresh ones. She finally let out a shaky breath and looked right at him and grabbed his face so she could look at his wound. He didn't fight her this time, he knew she was trying to get her mind off of the shocking event that shook them all and she needed the distraction.

"This is going to sting, our wands are useless right now so you'll have to deal with some Muggle healing," she said as she started to stitch up his head.

"Do you know where we are?" he asked as he slightly hissed out in pain.

"I have no clue, somewhere south is my best guess. Whatever he did to those coins, sent us all randomly scattered about."

"So what's the plan?" he asked, looking at her.

She started to fill him in about the Order and the many meetings and information they had been collecting over the years. He was a bit overwhelmed by the information and how many people were involved with Will and his men.

"I would assume we would all meet at the Zabini's given our current situation," she suggested.

"And which way would that be?" he asked.

"Not sure...I think I have a map in here," she said, reaching into her tiny bag until she had her whole arm in it. "Here are some clothes," she said as she found some jeans and a shirt and tossed them at him.

Draco just picked them up and looked at them with a sneer. "Jeans? And some raggy shirt?"

"It's not raggy, it's brand new," she said defensively. "If you'd like you can stay in those disgusting-"

"I GOT IT!" he said, cutting her off. "Should I just strip down here in front of you or..."

She rolled her eyes and turned around as he quickly changed into the clothes she gave him. She pulled out a map and started studying it and had a defeated look on her face.

"We are going to have to head towards town to find out where we are before we could figure out which way to go."

"Well, what do we use to defend ourselves in the meantime, since we are unable to do magic. I don't suppose you have-"

He stopped talking when she pulled out a handful of all different kinds of knives and potions. "It's not the greatest selection, but I have a few potions here that will do some damage." she shrugged.

He picked up one of the knives and looked at it for a moment as he thought back to what happened to Arthur...Astoria...Ginny...her baby, the memories of what happened to them made him despise the weapon. Hermione must have picked up on his feelings because he saw her wipe a few stray tears away before pocketing one of them and threw her bag back over her shoulder.

"We should get moving before any of Will's men come looking for us," she said as she went to get up, but lost her balance and went to fall when Draco grabbed her arm.

"You sure you don't need a minute to...collect yourself or something," he suggested as he nodded over to her pile of vomit from earlier.

She threw her bag on the ground and just shook her head. "I'm fine...it's just...I just found out I'm pregnant and nobody knows yet, not even Ron. I've been so busy with helping the Order and everything that it's on the back burner right now. So congrats, you're the first to know." she said, as tears started falling down her face again.

He wasn't sure what to say, all he knew was that the fact that Hermione was pregnant and they were in constant danger being out here made him feel uneasy. He just looked at her for a moment before he grabbed her bag off of the ground and threw it over his head and then started leading the way to town.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Her eyes were fixated on the fire in front of her as she watched the flames dance around and the fiery embers burn off into the night sky. She felt another warm tear roll down her cheek and hit the dirt ground that her face was lying against. Her eyes burned so badly, she didn't think she could cry anymore, but at this point, the tears were just uncontrollably falling from her eyes.

"Here, drink this," Lucius said, handing her some water.

She just ignored him.

"Ginny, you need to drink something," he said firmly, making her look up at the stern look he gave her.

She sat up and looked at the water for a moment before she snatched it from him and took a small sip. She knew he didn't know what to say about her father being murdered before her very eyes. She wasn't sure what to even think or how her poor mother must be feeling, she wasn't even sure what to say about Narcissa being taken by Will and his men.

"I would assume we should try to make our way to the Zabini's since that's where the Order has been meeting. I don't see any sign of a town nearby so we will have to do some walking to-" he stopped explaining when she quickly got up and started walking without him.

They walked for about a half hour before they saw a tiny little town in the distance and made their way closer to it. The entire time Ginny didn't speak and barely acknowledged anything Lucius said. He wasn't the comforting type, but he could only imagine what Ginny must be feeling and so he left her alone.

They finally arrived at the edge of a Muggle town and the only thing opened at this time of night was a small pub.

"I guess we're getting a drink," Lucius said as they made their way inside.

Ginny took a seat at the bar and nodded the bartender over.

"I'm going to have a word real quick to see where we're at," he said to her as he watched her throw back a few shots.

He went to go tell her it wasn't wise to be drinking under their circumstances and that they needed to keep a clear mind, but after what she had been through he decided to leave her be.

Ginny just sat there looking through the bottom of her empty shot glass as she replayed her father's murder over and over in her mind. She heard someone sit down beside her and tried to make small talk with her, but she completely ignored them and ordered another drink.

"Miss, do you even have any money to pay for all these drinks?" the bartender asked her after he took in her ripped and dirt covered clothes.

She just glared at him. "Nope, I sure don't," she simply said as she threw back the shot he had handed her earlier.

"Well, that's an issue because-"

"Because what?" Lucius asked, sliding money across the counter to him.

He just gave them both an annoyed look before he took the money.

"I think that's enough, let's get going," Lucius said.

"I can always take her home later," said a man who was visibly drunk as he sat beside Ginny.

Before Lucius could respond Ginny turned to look at the man and decked him right in the face making him stumble backward.

"YOU CRAZY BITCH!" he yelled as he felt the blood pouring from his nose.

He backhanded her so hard she fell into the bar and again before Lucius could intervene, she swung her fist around and punched him so hard he fell to the ground this time. She watched him grab his face in pain and took that opportunity to give a quick hard stomp to his groin making him scream out in agony. She felt Lucius grab her arm roughly and drag her out of the pub as they both ran off before any more trouble was stirred up.

They finally stopped when they got to a wooded area.

"We can't afford to be drawing attention to ourselves like that," he said through his heavy breaths.

Ginny just started laughing uncontrollably as she fell to her knees and continued to laugh. Lucius thought she might have finally gone mad until her laughing started to turn into crying. He wasn't one to be empathetic towards anyone, but it was no surprise that he and Narcissa had a soft spot for the youngest Weasley. He just let her have her cry when she finally stood back up and started walking again until they decided to stop for the night.

It had been about an hour or so since the altercation in the bar and Ginny hadn't spoken a word the entire time. She had just become completely numb at this point with all that's happened to her and she couldn't even possibly figure out in the slightest how she should be feeling right now. She continued to watch the fire that Lucius had started for them and watched him take a seat beside her. He had some water and a piece of what looked like his shirt he ripped and wet it before he gently turned her face to him to look at the cut on her cheek.

"It's not that bad, the bruise is worse than the cut," he said as he wiped the now dried up blood from her face.

She was just silent, of course, she was surprised by the kinder side of Lucius, more surprised that there was even one to begin with. She appreciated the fact he didn't ask her questions or want to discuss what happened to her father. He was quite good at picking up on her feelings which was weird because she hardly spoke to him at all.

"You really did a number on that guy though; definitely did some damage," he said with a smirk.

Her eyes traveled over to his for a quick moment before she looked back at the fire once more. "What are you thinking about? Right now?...The truth?" she asked.

He just looked at her and rinsed the rag once more before he gave a long sigh. "The truth? I'm thinking of what a monster I was years ago...still am. The things I've put my family through...my son and how they and especially he has suffered severely because of me," he said with a calm voice, but there was more emotion behind the words he spoke that Ginny picked up on.

She gave a small wince when he wiped closer to the cut on her cheek and her eyes traveled back to his as he continued.

"Seeing what these people have done and what they're doing now to innocent people... knowing I was once just as bad as them is unforgivable. Unfortunately, though, I will have to learn to deal with it." he finished quickly before the conversation got any more personal.

They were both quiet for a few moments.

"What about you? What are you thinking about?" he asked, hoping she would finally start talking.

Her eyes were welled with tears, but her expression was filled with rage. "I'm thinking about how I watched the life fade from my father's eyes as he bled out in front of me." she snapped before she snatched the rag from him and got up and walked off.

He let out a defeated sigh as he listened to her distant cries that filled the night.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Harry? Hey, come on... wake up." Pansy said as she kept shaking him.

He finally managed to open his eyes and was greeted by her relieved smile. "RON, HE'S AWAKE!" she yelled.

Before he knew it, Ron was standing over him. "You ok, mate?" he asked, looking down at him.

He just looked up at his friend, his eyes were still puffy from the numerous breakdowns he had watched him have. His face was still covered in shock, but he knew Ron was trying to push his feelings aside until they got somewhere safe.

"What happened?" Harry asked as Pansy and Ron helped him sit up.

"You passed out, that spell that hit your side is infected and you're packing a pretty high fever," Pansy explained as she quickly grabbed a bottle of water for him that they had managed to come across.

"The nearest hospital is about fifty miles from here, at least that's what some bloke we came across earlier said," Ron added.

"I'm really worried about your fever, Harry," Pansy said as she brought her hand up to his head and then his cheek.

"I'm fine, let's keep moving," he said as he stood up and found his balance.

It had been a day since they were randomly Portkeyed to the middle of nowhere. The first few hours they were together, it was mostly just silence as they all tried to comprehend that horrid scene that took place only hours ago. Harry was worried sick about Ginny and her state of mind, he was worried about a lot of things and a lot of people and he felt completely useless right now.

He knew that Pansy was fed up with him at this point because of how stubborn he was being about stopping and resting. He just couldn't stop right now, there was not enough time...it was probably too late already, but he still had to try. She hadn't spoken a word to him for hours now because he kept refusing to slow down. He could feel the more he pushed himself the more pain he was in and realized he might have to take a break after all.

"Alright, you win, let's stop for a minute," he said through his heavy breathing as he threw himself against a nearby tree and slid to the ground.

Pansy just had a smug look on her face. "Why don't you change his bandages, I'm going to look around and see if there's something around I can use to help that wound."

"What like plants and shit?" Ron asked. "Do you even know what you're looking for?"

She just glared at him, "Oh, I'm sorry are you surprised that I'm actually knowledgeable about something because I didn't spend every waking minute of my school years with my nose buried in books?" she snapped.

Ron didn't say anything, he just did as Pansy said and grabbed some fresh bandages and headed over to Harry. "That's your girl you know," he said as he started changing Harry's bandages.

Harry just smirked, "Is she? I don't think Pansy is anyone's girl," he said with an amused look on his face.

"Believe me, she is and you've kind of been a dick to her since we've been stuck together," he said.

"Have I?"

Ron just raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ok, I guess I have. I just...well, I don't think I really have to explain," Harry said, looking at Ron's face as both of their minds went to Arthur.

"You're all set," Ron quickly said before he got up and walked away before he became an emotional mess.

Harry's eyes traveled over to Pansy, who was walking back over to him. She knelt down beside him and had some sort of plant in her hand.

"It's aloe, nothing spectacular, but it might help with the pain. It normally can help prevent an infection, but yours is already in full mode here so it will be useless," she said.

"It SHOULD help with the pain? I thought you just told Ron you were familiar with herbal healing or whatever."

She looked at him, "Well, to be honest, I don't know shit about plants, I just said that to shut him up," she said, making them both laugh.

"So you're just doing this-"

"As an act? Yes," she laughed again. "But seriously, I mean it's aloe, it will at least help with some inflammation...I think," she said with a shrug. "And if it makes it worse... well then you're fucked I guess," she said with a smirk.

He just gave a small laugh and then watched her for a moment as she re-bandaged his wound once more.

"Pansy, I'm sorry if I've been-"

"It's fine, Harry," she said, cutting him off. "You don't have to explain at all... I get it." She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips before she pulled back and studied his face. "You really should rest, but your infection is getting worse and we really need to get to a hospital."

"So after all this time of you wanting me to stop and rest, now you want me to keep going?" he teased her.

"Well, if you listened to me to begin with, you probably wouldn't be as bad off as you are now," she said, helping him to his feet.

Harry knew he had a soft spot for Pansy and they were really just fooling around and just having fun with each other when it came to their relationship. It wasn't until recently that he started developing actual feelings for her, but he felt bad to think of their relationship as anything more since she had been through so much. He could tell she cared more about him than he originally thought after seeing her concern for him these past twenty-four hours and it made him feel the same way towards her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Ugh, yuck, what is it? Rather...what WAS it?"

"A rabbit, you can't really tell because I got carried away when I was gutting-"

"OK, THAT'S ENOUGH, THANKS!" she said, holding her hand over her mouth as she thought she might hurl right there.

"You need to eat something so you're going to have to overcome that whole bit," Draco said, pointing to her nauseated state with his bloody blade.

"You know what, your right, let me just find where I left that switch," she snapped.

"Once it's cooked it won't look so gross, go grab some water from that stream or something in the meantime, before you throw up on our food," he said with a sneer as he grew impatient with her.

She grabbed a small bucket from her bottomless bag, making Draco shake his head at the endless amount of stuff she kept pulling from it. He also couldn't stand her constant humming, whenever she was focused on doing something she would hum and it was enough to make him want to strangle her.

After another few minutes of having the slaughtered animal over an open flame, it started to look somewhat edible.

"Ha, NOW COME TAKE A LOOK, GRANGER!" He called out to her. "Pretty impressed with myself actually," he mumbled as he tested a piece of the rabbit that was cooked.

"GRANGER! GET OVER HERE!" he yelled out again.

He got up and took a few steps to look down at the stream to see if she was there. "GRANGER?...HERMIONE?" he snatched his knife that he had been using and made his way down towards the water. "Granger, what happened to you, did you fall in?" he drawled as he made his way over to the bucket that was sitting there.

He suddenly heard someone behind him and before he could turn around, he was knocked to the ground by a spell. His head snapped over to the sound of Hermione letting out a painful gasp as one of the two men attacking them grabbed her tightly by the hair. He watched him throw her to the ground and he went to kick her when Draco got up so fast and tackled him to the ground. He had a lot of anger and emotion he had been holding back and it all seemed to have suddenly come to surface.

He felt the knife he had get kicked from his hand and quickly grabbed anything around as a weapon. He punched the man repeatedly in the face and grabbed a rock from the ground and bashed it against the man's head. He saw the other man start to run off after Draco had attacked the other man.

"DRACO, HIS WAND, WE NEED HIS WAND!" Hermione yelled out.

He jumped to his feet and ran after the man before he could apparate. He took the rock he still had and threw it as hard as he could and was pleased to see it hit him hard enough to knock him to the floor. He jumped on the man and punched him a few times before the man kicked him back hard knocking him into the small stream. Draco felt his back scrape against a few sharp rocks but pushed the pain aside as he got back up again. He watched the man make one last attempt at going after Hermione. Draco saw his knife lying on the ground a few feet away and quickly grabbed it and threw it at the man's back making him stumble back into the water.

Draco ran over to Hermione, "Are you alright?" he asked, looking her over quickly.

She gave a quick nod before his eyes traveled over to the man in the water who was still alive and trying to get up. Draco ran over to him and kicked him hard in the face and then held him underwater as the man struggled against his grip.

"DRACO, STOP!" Hermione yelled at him.

He wouldn't listen, he wanted him dead, he wanted them all dead after everything they've done to him, Ginny, Arthur...to everyone.

"DRACO, I SAID STOP IT! WE AREN'T LIKE THEM!" she yelled, pulling him off of the man.

He turned to look at her, her eyes pleading with him to not murder the man he had pinned down. He looked back at the guy, who was now coughing up water and he punched him hard enough to knock him out and then dragged him to the edge of the stream.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he said, grabbing the wand from the man and then leading the way back up to the fire.

"You think we'll be able to apparate?" He asked her, packing up the few things they managed to find up in her bag.

"I doubt it, Chamberlain is too smart to let something like that slip through," She said, taking the wand from him and giving it a go.

After nothing happened, she just gave a defeated sigh.

"Well, at least we have a wand for now, so some magic is better than none." He said with a sneer before throwing the bag over his head and grabbing the now burnt rabbit from the stick he had it on. "Here, eat this, there are still some decent spots left on it," he demanded.

She just looked at it and then at him. "What about you?"

"I'm fine, you need it more than I do, come on," he said making her go ahead of him so he can watch their backs.

They walked for what seemed like hours until they finally saw a large town in the distance that made them both find some new found energy. Draco made sure they stopped at the edge of the woods before they went walking out on the streets.

"Stay here for now until I check-"

"Stay here? Why would I stay here? You're going to walk into a Muggle town and you don't want me, the Muggle, to go with you?" she said with a light laugh.

"Listen, Granger, you think it's a coincidence that those men just came upon us like that? We haven't been able to use magic or anything so we should be untraceable to Chamberlain and his men. There's more to this, he must have known ahead of time where those Portkeys would send us...it's like some sick game he's playing. So yes, I want you to stay put until I find out if this town is filled with just more of his pawns." he said firmly.

"Well, that's quite big of you, but I know what kind of questions to ask and I'm not completely incapable of standing up for myself-"

"YES, BUT THINGS ARE DIFFERENT NOW, GRANGER!" he suddenly screamed at her making her take a step back.

He noticed her back up a bit and let out a frustrated sigh before he looked at her once more. "I just want you to be safe...I need to know that you are safe. So can you JUST FUCKIN stay put?" he asked through clenched teeth.

She just nodded.

"Good, make sure you keep this on you," he said, nodding at the wand.

She nodded again and locked eyes with him for a moment, she swore she saw him fighting back tears before he abruptly turned and headed towards town. Draco wasn't sure why, but he felt this need to protect Hermione and her baby. After seeing the horrid memories of Ginny and what she and Harry went through...he just couldn't imagine it happening to anyone else. He knew these men had no remorse and didn't think twice about the lives they took. Sure, Hermione wasn't the ideal person he wanted to be stuck with right now, but she helped him and Ginny through all of this and he owed it to her and Ron to make sure she was safe and returned back to him in one piece.

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Ginny just kept walking and walking, she and Lucius had been walking for hours now and it was as if there was nothing but woods for miles. She lost count of how many branches slapped her in the face or cut up her arms as she made her way through all the trees. Her eyes glanced over at Lucius, who barely said a word to her all day, although it was her fault why. Ever since last night and the conversation they had, she made it clear she wasn't open for talking. She was able to see his concern for Narcissa and Draco starting to surface the longer it took them to even get on the right path towards the Zabini's.

She suddenly let out a hiss of pain as she accidentally walked into a low hanging branch and it hit her already bruised face.

"Lovely, because the bruise on my face isn't big enough," she mumbled in frustration.

"It's because you're not watching where you're walking," Lucius simply said.

"I am watching," she snapped.

"Well, then you are too lost in your thoughts to be paying attention," he drawled.

She narrowed her eyes at him and mumbled a bunch of not so nice things under her breath.

She went to start walking again when he put his arm out to stop her and he put a finger over his lips for her to be quiet as he looked ahead of them. Ginny heard the snapping of twigs on the ground close by them and then a knife suddenly flew by Lucius' face and hit the tree behind him. He brought his finger up to the light graze on his cheek and sneered at the blood before he grabbed the knife from the tree. There was suddenly three men that came running at them and Ginny had no clue how she would defend herself without magic. She desperately thought back to the day Narcissa attempted to teach her wandless magic, but she failed miserably at it.

One of the men came at her and she took a few steps back as she awaited his next move. He swung his knife at her and she jumped back just in time before it hit her. She glanced over at Lucius to see if he would be of any help to her, but he already had his hands full with two other men that came out of nowhere. The man in front of her swung his knife a few more times wildly through the air and she kept backing up until her foot caught on a tree root and she fell backward to the ground. The man ran at her and she brought her foot up and kicked him hard in the face as he attempted to grab her. She quickly got up and was grabbed by another guy by the hair and flung into a tree. She turned to see his knife flying right at her face and she quickly ducked out of the way, making the man's knife get stuck in the bark.

She suddenly felt two hands around her neck that had her pinned against the tree lifting her off the ground. Her mind went back to that day in Harry's flat when she was almost killed and how defenseless and scared she felt. She kicked her feet wildly to try and push him away and her hands clawed at his face, but he didn't care enough to let her go. Her hand suddenly grazed the knife that was stuck in the tree and she used everything she had left in her to pull it out. She felt her body starting to panic as she was deprived of oxygen and she plunged the knife into the man's stomach as hard as she could.

She felt the warm blood cover her hand and then his hands released her and she fell to the floor with the knife in her hand still. She started coughing violently and gasping for air as she found her bearings again. She just sat up against the tree for a moment and took in the scene around her. She watched Lucius snap one of the men's neck with little effort and deliver what looked like a deadly blow to another man's face that sent him straight to the ground. Her attention went back to the man in front of her holding his stomach where she had stabbed him and then down to the bloody knife in her hand.

"Y-you stupid, b-bitch...you'll get what y-you deserve," he choked out with an evil smile as blood filled his mouth.

Ginny wasn't sure what happened inside of her as his words hit her. She got to her feet and stood over him with a look of pure hatred.

She squatted down beside him, "Well, then I guess it's only fair that you get the same." she said with such hatred for the man in front her before she stuck the knife hard into the man's chest.

Once she stabbed him she pulled it out again and would plunge it harder and deeper every time. She just kept repeatedly stabbing him as visions of her poor father being murdered ran through her head. Memories of her holding her stillborn child replayed in her mind and she let out this heartbreaking scream as she went completely crazy on the already dead man's body beneath her. She felt someone grab her off of him and hold her arms down to keep her from delivering another blow to the gutted up man. She completely lost it and just started screaming and crying for everything she had lost.

When Lucius watched Ginny stab that man to death, he knew she wouldn't be the same. She had never killed anyone before and here she was covered in another man's blood that she savagely killed. He felt compelled to grab her off of him and just hold her while she cried out in agony. He was not one to show emotion at all and never show any sort of a comforting hand, but he'd be lying if he didn't feel for the young redhead right now.

It had been almost an hour later that they both just sat there in silence when Lucius finally spoke. "We should get moving."

She slowly stood up and looked around for a moment before Lucius watched her face turn into an angry expression. She walked over to the dead man's body on the ground and started to search him for anything they could use. He was surprised to see her interact with the body like that; her face was clear of any emotion at this point. He watched her grab a few more small knives he had on him and a few other things that might be of use and then he started doing the same to the other bodies.

"Are you kidding? Not one of these pricks has a wand on them?" she said angrily as she searched another man's pocket.

He watched her pocket a few more knives. "Do you think you're going to need that many?" he asked, concerned about where her mind was at.

She just glared at him, "Well, it's not like I have a wand so how else would you like me to defend myself?" she snapped.

"Ginny, I think we need to talk about what happened-"

"NO!" she yelled, pointing her finger at him firmly. "I already know what you want to say, why don't we talk about all the men you killed?" she said, gesturing with her hand at the bodies behind him.

"That's different, it won't have the same effect on me as it will on you...believe me," he said.

"I did what I had to do and I'll keep doing that until we find the others. Oh, and what about Narcissa? You know your wife? Let's see if you still feel the same way when we finally find her and she can barely remember how to hold a wand." she hissed before walking ahead of him.

He just watched her walk away, of course, he wanted her to defend herself, but even though her face held no emotion he could see the vengeance in her eyes.

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"THERE IT IS!" Pansy yelled to them as a smile spread across her face.

"About bloody time," Ron said through his heavy breaths as he leaned on a nearby tree.

As they walked closer to the hospital Harry suddenly stopped when he felt something was off.

"Wait," he said.

But Pansy and Ron were deep in conversation about finally getting Harry something to help with his infection.

"GUYS, WAIT!" he yelled out making them both stop.

"What's wrong?" Pansy asked.

"Something doesn't seem right-"

There was suddenly a huge explosion ahead of them as they watched the hospital become engulfed in flames and making them take cover behind a tree.

"No...NO!" Pansy yelled out in frustration.

Nobody said anything as they just stood there and watched the building before them continue to burn. After a few moments, Pansy felt Harry gently grab her hand and start to lead her away from the hospital and back on the path to the Zabini's.

"What the bloody hell? Is Chamberlain watching us or something? How did he know we were headed here?" Ron asked as his anger started to rise.

"Most likely that's exactly what's going on, but you two need to keep a level head," Harry said firmly. "I'm fine, we will make it back to the Zabini's and we can heal me right up, ok?" he said to both of them.

Neither of them said anything, they just looked discouraged and worried about Harry's condition.

"I SAID OK?" he repeated himself louder.

They both nodded.

"Good, now let's keep going," he said, his tone comforting to keep the both of them in the right state of mind.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco just sat there watching her for a moment as she devoured the hamburger on her plate. He couldn't help but think back to his first lunch outing with Ginny and how she dug through the pile of greasy french fries that day; picking and choosing which ones were worthy enough to eat. He laughed to himself at the memory and his heart suddenly ached for her.

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked. "Do I have something on my face?" she asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Well, where do I begin? You have ketchup on your nose, a piece of lettuce that somehow ended up in your hair and then a generous amount of grease dripping down your hand and arm." he laughed. "Apparently, you've picked up Weaslebee's eating habits," he said with a smirk.

"Oh my gosh, I look like a slob," she said in embarrassment as she started cleaning herself up.

"Well-"

"Shut it, Malfoy," she warned him.

He just watched her clean herself up and then looked around the small diner he found in the town they came across. It was just a simple Muggle town that wasn't as busy as it seemed it would be. They were both quiet for a few moments as Draco continued to pick at the food in front of him.

"Draco, can I ask you something?"

He glanced up at her and then back down at his plate. "I assume you're going to ask no matter my answer so, sure."

"Earlier, you said that you have to make sure you keep me safe...why?" she asked, her eyes locked on him.

He just shrugged at first. "Does it matter? You're safe now, aren't you? Just drop it," he said with a slight sneer.

She just nodded and they both fell silent again.

He let out a soft sigh suddenly, "When I was in Azkaban...after Chamberlain told me Ginny was dead...I don't know what happened to me. All I know is every time I opened my eyes, Ginny was there having a conversation with me. Each time I believed she was really there because it felt so fuckin real and then she would just vanish and reality set in again. Every time she faded away over and over...It was like realizing that I had lost her all over again." he cleared his throat. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this." as he shifted uncomfortably at his sudden openness with Hermione.

She just gave him a small smile.

"I just kept thinking to myself how I couldn't save her...just like how I couldn't save Astoria. I kept thinking about those memories of Ginny and what happened and I just...I..." he trailed off.

"Are you worried that the same thing will happen to me?" she asked.

"I don't know...maybe that's it, I don't even know if what I'm saying makes sense of why I feel a certain type of way." he shrugged.

"Well, I think it's rather sweet of you," she said with a small laugh.

"Ugh, sweet? I'll have to work on that then," he joked.

They were quiet again for a few moments.

"What if Ginny is dead now? What if my mother is dead?" he asked in a soft voice as a lump formed in his throat.

"We have to believe they are ok, hopefully, Ginny is with Harry and Ron...Harry wouldn't let anything happen to her."

He just nodded. "It's crazy that they aren't together," he said suddenly as his mind wandered off into a different direction.

"Who? Harry and Ginny?" she asked, surprised that he brought that up.

"You can't sit there and tell me you haven't thought that," he said with a slight sneer.

She didn't look at him for a few moments and then her eyes glanced back up at him. "To be honest, yes, it is a bit surprising things turned out this way. The love that Harry and Ginny have for each other is unexplainable, it's actually a bit heartbreaking when you think about everything." she leaned forward and gently placed her hand on his. "But they aren't in love...Ginny is in love with you and what's really crazy is that you two ended up together." she joked, making him smirk. "I think you guys help keep each other grounded and now after everything again, it would just be crazy if YOU TWO weren't together," she said with a smile.

He just shook his head at the deep conversation they just had. "Alright, enough of this, now since neither of us has any money for this meal, we're going to have to dine and dash." he said, looking around the diner for their waitress.

"Draco Malfoy are you actually suggesting-"

"Ok, she went in the back, let's go," he said quickly as he got up and left her sitting there in the booth.

He was already out the door as she sat there taking in what just happened and then quickly got to her feet and ran out also. She ran around to the side alley where she finally found Draco amused with himself.

"Well, thanks for leaving me, I thought you wanted to protect me?" she snapped.

"Against what? Having to do some dishes? It wouldn't be anything you're not used to." he laughed.

They were both pulled from their thoughts by the sound of an explosion in the distance.

"What the hell was that?" Draco asked, walking out to the street with Hermione behind him.

"Over there," Hermione pointed to a cloud of smoke in the distance. "Should we go towards it?"

"Unfortunately, yes, the others could be over there...Ginny could be there," he said.

Hermione just nodded and started following him towards the explosion.

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She ran her tongue over her lips and felt the stinging pain as she tasted the leftover blood that ran down from her nose to her mouth. Her vision was blurry as she took in her surroundings and realized she was still in the same room since the last time she passed out.

"Oh, goodie, you're awake. I was starting to miss your company." Will said with an evil grin as he walked over to Narcissa.

She just glared at him.

"Normally at this point, I'd be pretty pissed that I've hardly gotten a thing from you, but I'm impressed with your Occlumency skills," he said, as he circled the chair she was tied to.

He finally stopped in front of her and pulled out a knife and lightly trailed it down the side of her cheek. "Since you don't want to let me inside that magnificent mind of yours...I'm going to make you scream until you do," he said with an amused smile.

He pressed the blade into the side of her cheek and dragged it all the way down to her jaw. Narcissa didn't scream, but he watched her fight it as the pain started to get to her. Her eyes filling with tears as she fought the urge to cave in and scream out.

He stood back up and just looked at her with another impressed look. "Well, well...this is going to take some work," he said. He watched her face fill with anger as he walked closer to her and grabbed her face. "Let's try this instead," he said.

He took the knife and stuck right through her hand, making her release a painful scream that echoed throughout the room.

"Ha, now we're getting somewhere," he said in an excited tone. "Now, let's get to work... and if you block me out again, this time I'll take your eye," he said, wiping the bloody blade off on her other cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so what did you think? I know a lot is going on, our dear Ginny is a mess right now...again.
> 
> Just FYI, this story will be coming to an end soon so its best you start preparing, lol. PLEASE REVIEW!


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter!!! Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Please check out my Facebook fanfic page where I post story updates, previews of upcoming chapters and have general discussions on my fics =D
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/
> 
> Now, on to the story!!!!
> 
> WARNING! GRAPHIC SCENES OF VIOLENCE!

She threw one of the knives nonchalantly at the tree a few feet from her as she fell deep in thought. She would grab all of them out of the bark and take her spot once more before she lazily started throwing them again.

"You're pretty good at that," Lucius said, taking in her perfect aim as she kept hitting the same spot on the tree with every knife she threw.

She gave a shrug as she threw another. "Found these throwing knives on one of those guys," she sighed as she made her way back over to collect them again.

He watched her continue to throw them. "Do you plan on using those?" he casually asked.

She just gave another shrug, "I don't know, maybe."

He just watched her for a few more moments, he was concerned about her state of mind. "How's your face?"

"Oh, you know...swollen...bruised...it feels great," she sarcastically said as she collected the knives again and pocketed them.

He tried with everything in him to be patient with her, but he had his own stress and worry eating at him about his wife and son.

"Looks like there's a fire somewhere," he said, noticing a cloud of smoke in the distance. "Perhaps we should make our way towards it in case its the others trying to signal us," he suggested.

Ginny just grabbed whatever stuff they managed to scrape up along the way and started walking towards it without a word. She felt absolutely nothing anymore...for the time being anyway. She had completely shut all feelings out just like she had done for so long before all of this started. There was just no possible way to handle the amount of agony she was holding in right now. When she did start to let any feelings start to surface, it was nothing but anger and rage towards Will and his men.

Lucius followed her and didn't dare try to converse with her in any way in her current state. Her clothes were stained with the blood from the man she killed as well as her face and hands. It was bothersome to him that she didn't seem to care either. He didn't even hear her mention Draco once this entire time, but he knew it wasn't intentional. He continued to be as patient as he could be with her until she was ready to start talking.

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"Here, I got some water," Pansy said, helping Harry take a sip.

"Thanks," he said with a weak voice.

She looked at him with worried eyes as she took in his soaked shirt and hair as he fought a dangerously high fever. His face was pale and clammy and his eyes bloodshot and sunken in; the infection had become worse in less than a day. She had him sitting against a tree as she took a look at his bandages.

She felt a lump form in her throat as she saw how much the infection spread. Almost his entire side was red and swollen and his body was on fire. She felt so helpless, there was nothing she could do to help him.

"How's the pain?" she asked him.

He just gave a weak smirk, "I think I'm finally getting used to it," he laughed before falling into a violent coughing fit.

He squeezed his eyes tightly shut at the severe pain running through his body, "Never mind, I lied."

Pansy just gently stroked his head, running her fingers through his sweat-soaked hair. "You need a shower, I'm afraid," she said softly, giving a small laugh.

He closed his eyes and just gave a silent laugh.

She continued to change his bandages, "It looks like there might be a town in the distance. We can finally get you all healed up." she said with a smile looking at him.

He didn't say anything.

"Don't be discouraged, remember you told Ron and I you would be fine. You don't want to be made out as a liar now do you?" she said with a small laugh.

Again he didn't say anything, he just sat there limp.

"Harry?" she called out again.

She felt her heart stop and her breath catch in her throat. "Harry?" she called out again, this time her voice cracking with emotion.

She gave him a hard shake, "Harry?"

He slowly opened his eyes and stared out into space. "I'm here, I'm just...tired." he barely whispered out as his eyes closed once more.

She felt his pulse and was a bit relieved to hear a pretty solid rhythm still. She got to her feet and walked back over to where Ron was.

"How is he?" Ron asked.

He watched Pansy's eyes fill with tears and she quickly walked away and fell into a fit of sobs. She didn't really show emotion like that and felt awkward to show any signs of weakness. Ron got up and made his way over to her and took a seat on the ground beside her.

She just started shaking her head and wiping her tears away. "He's barely hanging on...I don't think we're going to make, Ron." she cried, as she ran her hands through her hair in frustration.

"We can't start thinking like that, remember what Harry said-"

"Screw that shit, Weasley. He's dying from this infection... it's killing him, do you realize that?" she snapped angrily.

"Of course I realize that, but it's not going to do either of us any good if we just accept that. We need to keep trying and keep pushing," he said, putting an arm around her.

She was caught off guard by Ron's gesture and she turned to look at him with teary eyes.

"Ok?" he asked her.

She gave a tearful nod before she fell into another fit of sobs.

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He kept glancing over at her as they continued walking; they had walked a few hours already without a break. He could tell she was getting tired, but was too stubborn to admit it, which made him smirk to himself. She held her head in her hand for a moment before she kept pushing forward when she noticed Draco stop walking suddenly.

"Why are you stopping?" Hermione asked.

He looked over her exhausted state and just gave a small sigh, "I need a break," he lied, just so she wouldn't have to admit that she needed one.

She looked at him for a moment as a slight smile formed and she nodded before taking a seat against a nearby tree.

"Here," he said, handing her a bottle of water from her bottomless bag he carried for her.

"The smoke is starting to clear, we should get going again," she said, taking a quick sip of water and getting back up.

Draco looked at where they had seen the explosion across the way. "I think we still have a few minutes to rest," he said firmly as he looked at her.

She just gave a nod and sat back down.

"That's a great idea, I think you have plenty of time to rest," came a voice from behind them.

They both jumped up; Draco immediately gripping the wand they had snatched off one of Will's men. As soon as Draco turned to see the men that appeared behind them, his eyes went straight to the one who spoke. He looked a lot like Will and Joe and he only assumed it to be another one of Will's five brothers.

Draco didn't hesitate to throw out the first spell, but the man had some sort of reflective shield up as it flew back and hit Draco right in the chest knocking him to the ground. He quickly scrambled to get up, but he heard the Cruciatus curse leave the man's mouth and he was on the ground again in unbearable pain.

Hermione went to run to grab the wand Draco dropped and felt a binding charm wrap around her legs, making her fall to the ground. She dragged herself towards the wand as quickly as she could. Just as she was about to grab it, someone dragged her across the ground over to them and pulled her up off the ground by her hair.

"Don't you fuckin lay a hand on her," Draco said through clenched teeth as the curse was finally lifted.

Two men grabbed him off the ground and held him tightly with a knife at his throat. Will's brother walked over to him with a wide smirk.

"I'm Johnathan, by the way, and let me just say...I've been waiting to meet you face to face Draco Malfoy. The man responsible for my baby brother's death..." he said with a sneer before he punched Draco hard in the face.

He grabbed his face and punched him again and again until Draco fell to the ground on his hands and knees. He spit out a mouthful of blood before Johnathan kicked him hard in the ribs making him yell out in pain.

"STOP IT! PLEASE STOP IT!" Hermione cried out.

Johnathan kicked him hard in the face and then once more in the stomach until Draco finally lay there on the grass covered in his own blood. He tried to pick himself up, but he grabbed his side in pain and spit out another mouthful of blood.

Johnathan turned his attention to Hermione and walked over to her as he conjured up a rope. "And now, your turn," he said with an evil smile.

He grabbed her shirt and wiped his bloody knuckles off on it before he tied her hands behind her back. He threw the rope over a large tree branch and handed the end to one of his men. He tied a large loop and held it out in front of her.

"I take it you know what a noose is, yes?" he said with another smile as he threw it around her neck.

She felt her body trembling in fear and she broke down into hysterics as she realized what awaited her.

Johnathan nodded to the man holding the other end to start pulling on it and Hermione felt the rope tighten around her neck and start to pull her higher. Her feet barely touched the ground as she desperately tried to find something to step on.

Draco heard Hermione's cries as his mind screamed at him to get up, but his body refused to do so. He watched the fear fill her face and he wanted to help her...he had to. He noticed the wand on the ground not too far from him and tried with every bit of strength left in him to crawl over to it. His eyes glanced over at Hermione's rising body as her legs kicked wildly about and then he locked eyes with her.

He couldn't explain what made him suddenly get up, he didn't know where the strength even came from, but he had the wand and he was on his feet. He threw out a killing curse at one of the men without a second thought and watched him hit the ground. Johnathan and the other man were so wrapped up in Hermione that they didn't notice Draco's new found adrenaline. They were caught off guard as he threw another deadly curse at the other man and then he just had Johnathan left.

Draco quickly waved his wand to cut Hermione down and saw her fall to the ground before his attention was back on Johnathan.

"How do you think this is really going to end, Draco?" he laughed as they stood a few feet from each other, both grasping their wands tightly.

"I think you'll be seeing your baby brother sooner than you think," he sneered before he threw everything he had out at the man.

Again, Draco ended up on his back with and his wand disarmed and Johnathan walked over to him. He just looked down at him with a smirk as Draco looked around to find something as a weapon; he saw a knife on the ground but it was too far to grab.

"Looks like I win," he said as he towered over Draco.

He couldn't help but be taken back to the day he and Ginny practiced fighting in the arena at the Manor and he said the same thing to her right before she leg swiped him. Draco gave a quick smirk before he took his leg and kicked Johnathan's out from under him making him fall to the ground. Draco got on top of him and started wailing on him, one fist after another; each hit harder than the last. He felt the man's warm blood covering his hands and it just made him want to keep hitting him. He couldn't help the amount of anger he felt right now as he glanced over at Hermione's gasping form only feet from him. He started to pummel the guy harder until he was sure he was dead; his face was unrecognizable after Draco was finished with him. He didn't care that he just beat a man to death, all he cared about was letting all of his anger out.

He rolled over onto the grass trying to catch his breath as he felt tears well up in his eyes and then crawled over to where Hermione was.

He grabbed her face and looked at her tear-stained cheeks "Are you alright?"

She let out an emotional gasp as she nodded yes before she took his hands from her face and held them in hers. He had been holding back a lot of emotion since Azkaban and Arthur's death; he didn't expect it all to come out now. His hands were shaking from everything that he and Hermione just endured and he felt the tears start to fall from his eyes. He looked away from her, but she was just as much of a mess as he was and clasped onto him as they both fell into an emotional mess of sobs.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny was walking around the front of the house to see if it looked like anyone still lived there. They had just stumbled upon this house in the middle of the woods in a small clearing and saw the state it was in.

"It's looks abandoned," Lucius said, looking at the wasteland of children's toys all over the front yard.

Ginny picked up a doll off the ground that was dirty and just stared at it for a few moments before she threw it back down. There was a baseball bat and glove, a jump rope, a few balls and every other kind of toy you could imagine to play outside with. She couldn't help but think perhaps something bad happened to the family that lived here.

A few moments later Lucius came walking out of the house. "Definitely abandoned, nothing really useful to take," he said as he walked back over to her.

She nodded ahead of them suddenly, her expression blank. "Looks like we have company," she said, as a few men started to approach them.

One of the men pulled out a small orb and held it in the palm of his hand to show them. "I take it you both know what this is," he said with a grin.

Ginny and Lucius exchanged a look as they realized it was one of the orbs Narcissa had made when they were attacked at the Manor. Ginny could see the anger fill Lucius' face as he knew that must have meant they were able to break Narcissa. Ginny and Lucius both knew the type of damage that thing could do and they quickly ran to take cover as the man threw it at them.

Ginny heard the deadly little bomb go off and felt herself being thrown forward into a tree. All she heard was ringing in her ears for a few moments as she pulled herself up off the floor and looked around. She tasted blood in her mouth and felt it running down from her nose as she wiped it off on the sleeve of her shirt. She saw Lucius already up and at it with one of the men and she barely had time to react to the one already wielding a knife at her.

He swung it and caught her shirt as she jumped back and tore a hole in it before he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. She punched him hard in the face, making him stumble back for a quick moment before he was grabbing at her again. She went to swing her fist again when he grabbed it and slapped her so hard she fell to the ground. He stood over her and went to bend down to grab her once more when she grabbed one of the knives from her pocket. She didn't think twice about swiping it across his throat in one quick motion and felt the blood spray all over her as he clenched his neck. He fell to his knees as blood continued to pour from him and onto her until he fell to the ground. She pulled herself up and saw another man running at her when she took the same knife and threw it right at his chest, making him also fall to the floor in a puddle of his own blood.

She felt someone grab her from behind as she struggled to get free and then slammed her head back into his forcing him to fall to his knees and grab his face. She went to run when he grabbed her leg making her fall to the floor also and she suddenly felt him stab her in the side of her thigh. She let out a painful scream and grabbed her leg as she desperately crawled away from the man. Before the man had a chance to do anything else, Lucius grabbed him and started beating him until he was knocked out.

Lucius scooped her up and carried her over to the steps of the abandoned house they came across.

"Are you alright?" he asked and received a quick nod from her. "Let me check these guys out and see if they have anything useful on them that may help. I'll also take a look for some water nearby," he said, receiving another quick nod from her.

She looked at the knife sticking out of her leg and grabbed the handle to it and went to pull when she let out a painful scream.

"FUCK!" she yelled out.

She slipped her shirt off, leaving her in just a tank top and balled up a piece of her shirt and stuck in her mouth. She wrapped her hand around the blade once more and gave a light pull, making her bite down hard on the fabric. Her breathing became more rapid and she grew angry as adrenaline filled her body and she gave it one quick yank and gave the loudest muffled scream her body would let out.

She took her shirt and started ripping it so she could use it to tie around her leg. She managed to pull herself up from the step and drag herself into the house to see if there was something more useful in there to use. She could barely make it past the front door and threw herself onto some old dusty couch that was in there.

"That looks pretty painful and quite frankly, dear, you're a fuckin mess," came a voice from the across the room.

She looked up and an explosion of anger erupted in her and she jumped off the couch in an attempt to attack him, but she fell to the floor instead and let out a loud painful growl.

Will walked over to her and grabbed her arm and dragged her back over to the couch to sit down. He just looked at her for a few moments as she tried to fight through the pain.

"What the fuck do you want?" she hissed out. "Actually, never mind, it doesn't even matter anymore," she said, grabbing her shirt again and ripping it a few more times as she attempted to wrap it around her leg.

He watched her struggle with the now bloodstained shirt and he surprised himself when he felt a slight frown cross his face. He snatched the shirt from her and threw her hands back before he took it upon himself to wrap it around her leg a few times.

She slid her hand in her pocket to grab one of the many knives she had, but before she could even grasp it all the way he locked eyes with her and shook his head. "Don't," he said before he tied a knot hard around her leg as it put pressure on her wound making her let out another painful scream.

She felt her body wanting to give up, everything in her was telling her to just close her eyes.

"You've changed, Ginny," he said to her. "Killing men? Their blood covering every inch of you?"

"Just giving you a preview of what's to come," she said through clenched teeth.

He just gave her an amused smile and squatted down in front of her before he locked eyes with her. "Draco killed my brother."

"Yeah, haven't we established that already-"

"NO! He killed my other brother, Johnathan," he said, looking at her, his eyes turning deadly.

Her eyes went wide when he said those words, she knew he was angry. Her eyes traveled to the front yard to see if Lucius was back yet, but she didn't see any sign of him.

Her eyes traveled back to his. "So what do you want?" she asked.

"Well, someone has to pay, now don't they?" he asked her.

She didn't say anything.

"Right?" he asked her again as he squeezed her bloody leg.

"YES!" She yelled out.

"Now being that you love Draco so much, I'm betting that you would be more than happy to make up the wrong that he's caused me...right?" he asked, an evil smile tugging at his lips.

Ginny let out an emotional breath before she gave a slight nod.

"Good girl, let's go," he said, grabbing her to her feet and dragging her through the house.

He dragged her into one of the bedrooms and threw her on the bed before he waved his wand. She could see the swaying trees from the window start to slow down and soon everything was in slow motion except for her and Will.

He took a step towards her and she scrambled across the bed away from him, but he grabbed her leg and dragged her back over to him.

"Ginny, please don't make this harder than it needs to be," he said as he straddled her.

She struggled against him, but the pain from her leg was making it hard for her to move. She slapped him hard, letting her fingernails dig into the side of his face. He finally wrapped one hand around her throat and punched her across the face, making all her struggling come to a stop. She let her head just fall to the side as she felt him grope her body until he grabbed her face to look at him.

"I want you to keep your eyes on me," he said; his tone firm. "I would hate for you to miss anything from this experience," he said with a wide grin as he ripped her pants open and forced her legs apart.

She felt him about to enter her and her eyes welled with tears at the anticipation and she closed her eyes as she felt the tears fall.

"No, no, open those pretty little eyes now, Ginny," he said, grabbing her neck firmly as he pushed into her.

She stared at him, but she saw nothing, her body just gave up fighting; the tight grip she had on the hand he had around her neck loosening. She was gone, her mind went off somewhere else, everything became silent... the only noise that filled her ears was the squeaking bed frame.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"There's like five or six...I can't see that great from here," Pansy said, ducking back down behind the tree.

"I'm only getting five myself, now how are we getting past them?" Ron asked.

Pansy looked at Harry, who was in and out of consciousness and shook her head. "We might need to take them out, there's no way we can drag Harry with us past them without being noticed," she said.

She knelt down in front of Harry and ran her fingers through his hair, making him open his eyes a bit to look at her. "Hey, we'll be right back, Ron and I need to just go take care of something."

He gave the tiniest of nods.

"Don't go walking off without us, mate," Ron said with a smirk, making Harry give a small smile before his eyes closed again.

They both looked at him with sad eyes before Pansy cleared her throat. "Come on," she said, leading the way.

Neither of them had any weapons to use so their approach had to be smart. She silently made her way closer to the group of men and took cover behind each tree as she neared them. She grabbed a rock off the ground and threw it as far she could to make it seem like there was someone around that area so they would walk off. She exchanged a quick triumphant smile with Ron as they started to walk towards the sound. Just as she was about to walk over to the next tree she heard Harry start to fall into a violent coughing fit which made every man turn their head.

"Shit," Ron mumbled, as they started walking over to where Harry was.

Pansy's heart went into a panic and she completely gave away her position as she charged right at the man about to discover Harry lying there half dead. She knew he didn't stand a chance in his condition so she barreled towards him as fast as her feet would carry her. She felt spells flying past her as she ran right at the man and tackled him to the ground. The man was on top of her and she kicked him backward off of her and quickly scrambled over to get his wand. She managed to grab it, but before she could pick it up someone stomped hard on her hand making her scream out in pain.

Ron tackled the man away from Pansy as she quickly snatched the wand with the other hand and threw a spell at the man Ron was fighting. There were still five men and only two of them, one with a wand and the other without. Pansy put a quick shield up in front of them to give them some time to think of a plan. She threw an explosive spell at one of the trees causing it to fall on top of two of the guys which still left two more men. She waved her wand once more when she was suddenly disarmed and thrown backward by a spell.

The man came face to face with Ron. "Give up you fool, you'll only end up like your father," he said with an evil sneer.

Ron flung himself at the man and swung his fists repeatedly at the man knocking him to the ground where he kept punching him. He felt the other man grab him off and throw him up against a tree and swung a knife at him. Ron quickly dodged the weapon, but when the man swiped it again, he felt the blade slice his upper arm. He was then kicked hard in the chest backward against the tree once more before Pansy suddenly jumped on top of the guy from behind taking them both to the ground. She felt the man's hands around her throat as he slammed her head repeatedly on the ground when he suddenly was hit with a curse and fell dead on top of her.

She quickly pushed him off of her and pulled herself up to see Draco and Hermione standing a few feet away.

"Draco?" she choked out.

She barely recognized him, his face was bloody and bruised and he had an unreadable expression on his face, he and Hermione both did.

"You ok?" he asked her, helping her up off the ground.

She gave a quick nod before they both turned to see Ron and Hermione reunite. Draco just watched the way Ron snatched her up in his arms and buried his face in her hair as he broke down. He couldn't help but think of Ginny and how he wished he could do the same...his Ginny. He refused to think of her being dead already, he knew she was a fighter and he believed they would make their way back to each other soon.

Draco's eyes traveled over to Harry slumped against a nearby tree, he hardly noticed he was there at first. "What the hell happened?" he asked, as he made his way over to him with Hermione close behind.

"It's his wound, it's infected and we've had no way to treat it," Pansy explained.

Hermione already had her hands in her bag searching for all the potions she had. She pulled out a bunch of different ones and started dumping them down his throat.

"I don't have anything for the infection, but I gave him something to slow it down drastically from spreading any further. I also gave him a pain relief potion and something for his fever. How long has he been unconscious?" she asked.

"He's been in and out for about a day now," Pansy said, a look of concern covering her face.

"Help me search these guys real quick for something useful," Hermione said. "Draco, can you watch him for a minute?" she asked.

He nodded as he watched her walk away. He turned to Harry and looked him over, he was angered by the state he was in. He was surprised to see him open his eyes and look at him.

"Hey," he whispered out.

Draco just smirked at him,"Hey, you know while you're napping the rest of us are actually trying to find our way back home," he joked, causing Harry to give a small smile.

"Wh-where's Ginny?" he asked.

Draco felt his heart sink, "Uh...she's not with me...I was with Hermione." he said softly.

Harry just gave a small nod, "She...she's ok, right? Ginny?" he asked as his eyes fought to stay open.

Draco felt the tears start to sting his eyes. "Yeah...she's ok," he said, as he watched his head fall to the side.

He watched his breathing slow down and at one point he thought he was dead. "Harry?" he called out.

He grabbed him and gave him a hard shake. "Hey?"

He finally gave a sigh of relief when he heard him take a deep breath in.

"He's going to be in and out of it like that for a while," Hermione said, walking back over to them. "For now, I saw some smoke coming from somewhere nearby, maybe we should follow it and see if we get as lucky as we did by following this trail of smoke?" she suggested.

He just nodded in agreement, at this point he would be willing to try anything to find Ginny and his father. He just hoped that she really was ok.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"How much more will you allow yourself to be punished for all the wrongs Draco has done. He killed my first brother and you paid for it in the end...he killed my second brother and well...now look at you," Will said, watching Ginny pull herself up off the bed. "In my opinion, if you really want to be mad at someone it should be him, I'm just doing what needs to be done," he said with a smile.

He walked over to her and sat beside her. "Sorry things turned out this way," he said before he waved his wand and sped the time back up around them. "I'll see you soon...and Ginny?" She turned to look at him, her face covered in shock. "If I were you... I'd think about what I said."

She watched him apparate out of the room and she suddenly heard Lucius call out her name. She quickly pulled her pants back up and wiped her face of any tears before she let out a growl of pain as she pulled herself up.

"Ginny?" he called out again. "GIN-"

"I'm right here," she said, making her way out of the bedroom. "I was just looking for something of use," she said, sitting on the couch.

"Let me take a look at that wound," he said as he reached for her thigh.

"I GOT IT!" she yelled out, making him pause.

He looked at her, but she didn't make eye contact with him. "Alright," he drawled. "Well, I managed to tie two of these guys up, we could question them and maybe get some answers to where Chamberlain is hiding out."

He looked at her when she didn't respond. "Ginny? Are you listening?"

She pulled herself off the couch and walked back outside where she saw nightime was starting to fall. He followed her to the porch and just watched her suddenly throw up over the side of the railing. Her body was trembling, she wanted to cry...she wanted to scream, but nothing came out. She slumped down onto the floor of the porch steps and got lost in her thoughts.

"I guess I'll start a fire, you'll need the night to at least rest," he said.

It had been about three hours later and still Ginny never left the porch steps. She heard Lucius try to make conversation with her, but the only thing she could think about was the feeling of Will on top of her. She was pulled from her thoughts as she heard one of the men start to wake up from being knocked out. Lucius got up and walked over to him as the second man too was waking up.

"Where are you keeping my wife?" he asked, starting off simple.

They both laughed at his question.

"Like we'll really tell you?" one of the men said.

Lucius just looked at him, "Well, now obviously I didn't think you would be so willing." he said with an evil smile as he snapped one of the men's fingers clearly in half making him scream out in pain. "The good thing is you've got nine more," he said.

"Do what you want to us, no amount of pain will make us talk, Will knows we are loyal to him." said the other man.

Hearing Will's name and how loyal these men were to someone like Will infuriated her to the point her hands were shaking. She pulled herself up from the steps and started walking over to the two men. She stopped and looked around the numerous toys that covered the ground before she picked up a metal bat. She dragged it with her until she finally stopped in front of them and just stared at them both.

"You only need one person to answer questions," she said before she swung the bat hard at the man's head making him fall to the ground.

"GINNY, STOP!" Lucius yelled out, but she was too lost at this point for him to get through to her.

She lifted the bat and swung it again bashing the man's head open all over the grass. She didn't stop, she kept beating him with it over and over, even when she felt his blood dripping down the bat and onto her hands. Lucius didn't know how to respond to her sudden behavior, he tried this whole time to let her work it out, but it didn't seem like that would be happening.

She took the bat and lifted the other man's chin with the end of it to look at her. "Are you going to talk now?" she asked.

He didn't say anything, he just looked at what was left of the man beside him. Ginny was tired of waiting for answers and grabbed her knife and stuck it into his leg. "What about now?" she asked.

"You crazy bitch," the man growled out through the pain.

Ginny just looked at him with disgust before she took the bat and swung it right between his legs. The man screamed out in agony and the sound drove Ginny to keep hitting him. She swung it again, feeling it crack his skull and she just kept going. She didn't think she would ever stop beating the man before her as she repeatedly bashed every inch of his body to death.

Her heart was aching, she felt so much pain in every way possible that nothing mattered anymore. She couldn't even remember the last time she thought of her sweet baby Lily and that wonderful memory Draco gave her. When she thought of everything these past few months it became agonizing to even process it all in her mind.

"GINNY?"

The sound of the voice that hit her ears made her stop and she turned around to see Draco and the others standing there. All watching in horror as she savagely beat a man to death. She looked at the bloody bat in her hands and threw it aside before she looked up at those mercury eyes again. She thought when she had seen Draco again, she would want nothing more than to be in his arms, but for some reason, she turned around and ran as fast as her wounded leg would take her.

He went to run after her, but Lucius grabbed him to stop him and just shook his head to let her be. Draco just stared after her and his focus suddenly shifted to his father who grabbed him into a hug. He couldn't remember the last time his father hugged him or showed any kind of affection or concern for him.

"I'm so glad you're alright," he said before he quickly pulled back and looked at his son's beat up face. "You ok?" he asked.

Draco just stared at him for a moment to take in everything before he gave a small nod. "You?"

Lucius nodded and then looked at the direction that Ginny ran off too. "Give her a few and then you could try talking to her," he suggested. "In the meantime, I'll fill you in on all that's happened."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She fell to the ground in pure exhaustion, her body was giving up on her...she thought her heart would explode out of her chest at any moment. Ginny felt the bile rise in her throat and she tried so hard to keep it in but she lost the battle and threw up into a nearby bush. She threw herself back on the ground and cried out into the night, her hands tightly wrapped around her trembling body. She cried the hardest she ever had, she could barely catch her breath as her body shook with emotion.

Draco listened to her cries from a few feet away, his own tears falling as he heard how much pain she was in. He couldn't bear not being able to hold her any longer and he walked over to her and his heart sank. Her face was bruised and swollen and she was covered in blood from head to toe. Her once amber strands were stuck together with more blood, but the thing that was the most different was the look in her eyes. He sat on the ground beside her, unsure of what to say and unsure of what to do.

"Ginny?" he called out softly.

She looked at him as she desperately tried to not let Will's words play with her mind about Draco being the reasoning behind all her pain. She locked eyes with him, she saw he looked just as hurt and lost as she did.

He reached forward to take her hand, but she pulled away until he decided to grab her and pull her to him. He wrapped her tightly in his arms as she struggled against his grip before she finally gave in and clasped onto him. She buried her face into his chest and cried, her nails digging into him as she let everything out. From what his father told him they had been through the past few days he could only imagine the mental state Ginny was in. He still wasn't sure if he himself was a hundred percent since Azkaban or from yesterday when he and Hermione were almost killed.

He continued to hold her and rocked her a bit until her cries died down. He didn't say anything, mostly because he had no idea what to say to her. Seeing her beat that man to death was the last thing he ever thought he would see Ginny do. He thought back to the day in his bedroom when she tried to make him rethink his decision about wanting to kill the man who killed Astoria. He just hoped that somehow that Ginny was still somewhere inside of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was a hard one to get through, BUT... all of them are together again! PLEASE REVIEW, PLEASE! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THOSE MINDS ARE THINKING!


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so I know the last chapter was very graphic so sorry to my readers who were put off by it, but I am not sorry for writing it, BWAHAHAHA! This is more of an emotional chapter and a bit of a break from the violence =D
> 
> To anyone who was put off by the graphic content of the last chapter...thank you for your input, I appreciate all feedback from you guys =)
> 
> If you haven't joined my Facebook group yet you're missing out. I post chapter previews and have open discussions on the story and other pieces I've written so be sure to join.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/
> 
> Now, onto the story...

"Hey, Hermione?"

She stopped walking and turned to see Draco making his way over to her. "Hey, what's up?" she asked as they both continued walking.

"Did you break the news to Weaslebee yet?"

She gave a hard sigh, "No, I just want to get back to the Zabini's before I drop that little bomb on him," she said with a smirk.

He gave a small nod.

Hermione turned to look at Ginny walking in the back of the group and then looked at Draco's face. "Is she still not talking?"

He just looked at her, his eyes said it all.

"Just give her some time Draco, killing can't be easy for someone to do, well...a person like Ginny anyway."

He just nodded before he turned to look at Ginny again.

"Guys, we need to stop for a few so I can change these bandages," Pansy said, as Ron and Lucius sat Harry down against a tree.

Hermione made her way over to him and pulled some supplies from her bag. "Why don't you guys scout the area, see if there's anything helpful around."

They all scattered about while she started to change Harry's bandages. She watched Ginny throw herself on to the ground and grabbed her leg in pain. She reached into her bag and threw a pain relief potion at her.

"That will help a bit, you should take it." she said with a small smile.

Ginny drank the potion and watched Hermione make her way over to her next.

"Let me change yours too, you don't want to end up with an infection also," she said as they both look at Harry's unconscious body. "I'm going to see if they found any water because this wound needs to be cleaned, I'll be right back." she said, getting up and walking away.

Ginny just looked at her bloody thigh, her ripped shirt still tied by Will was wrapped around it. The mere thought made her sick to her stomach.

"You're here?"

Her eyes darted up to see Harry looking at her, this was the first time he was awake since they had all found each other. She scooted over to him so she could hear him better, his voice was weak and his words were almost inaudible.

"You ok?" he asked her.

She looked away from him and started to cry, she covered her mouth to muffle her emotional gasps. She let out a shaky breath and dried her face before she turned back to him. "Yeah, I'm ok. What about you? You promise me you'll be ok too?" she asked.

"Of course," he whispered out.

She watched him try to get something from his pocket, but he was too weak to make the attempt and she reached in and pulled out what looked like a piece of paper. She unfolded it and realized it was the picture of Lily that Draco gave them from the dream he had. She clutched the picture to her chest and fell into tears.

"Don't forget, this is...all for her," he said through his heavy breathing as he fell unconscious once more.

She looked at him and gave a tearful nod before she looked at the picture again and then tucked into her pant pocket.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He slapped her face a few times to wake her up and then grabbed the bucket of ice water and dumped it on her making her eyes snap open.

"There we go, you keep falling unconscious and it's kind of hard to invade your mind that way," Will said with a wide smile.

She looked around her and then at him, he could see she was confused. "No, no, you can't be leaving me yet...I still need you somewhat sane," he laughed. He looked at her again and noticed she looked even more confused. "Narcissa? Narcissa Malfoy? You do remember who you are still right?" he asked with an amused grin.

Her breathing was heavy as she took in her surroundings once more and then looked at him. "Where am I? Why am I here?" she asked.

He gave a sigh, "You're completely lost aren't you?" She just looked at him and he reached forward and untied her hands. "You know what this is still, hopefully?" he asked her, holding out her wand for her to take.

She took it in her hand.

"Good, now break that window," he said, pointing at the glass window a few feet away from them.

She flicked her wand and the window busted to pieces, she didn't even murmur a spell.

"So, you DO remember magic, and quite brilliantly I might add, but you're just completely lost about everything else? This makes things better than I ever expected them to be," he said with a wide evil grin. "Do you want to know who you are, Narcissa? What your purpose is?" he asked her.

She just looked at him, her face bruised from the savage attempts at them getting information out of her. She felt nothing but anger, but she didn't know why; she tried so hard to make sense of what was what.

"What if I told you the reason you're so angry is that somebody hurt you real bad. So now...I need you to help me find them so we can make things right," he said, locking eyes with hers. "Can you do that, Narcissa? Will you help me?" he asked her.

She looked down at the wand in her hand again and then back up at him before she gave a firm nod.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny could see the Zabini house in the distance and she felt a lump form in her throat. She overheard the others talking about staying at the Order headquarters instead of going home. They had no idea what to expect from Will and so the Zabini's home wasn't a target like the Manor or the Burrow. She wasn't sure what to expect when she got home, was her mother alive? Her brothers? How was her mother responding to her father's death? Her mind was racing, she also knew Draco's focus would turn to her and try to talk to her about what he thought was the issue. Yes, she couldn't believe she resorted to killing, the violent things she did was something she didn't even want to begin to think about.

What was really on her mind was her encounter with Will and how he worded things to her about Draco. She begged her mind to not look at things that way; if Draco knew what Will would have done to her if he killed his brother he never would have done it. She also knew that if Draco ever found out what happened to her because of his actions he wouldn't be able to live with himself. She thought about her love for Draco...she loved him, but it was like the love was completely blocked from making its way to her mind right now. Her mind was too clouded with the violence she had endured and the violence she had done. She just hoped her mind would let it through again and she wouldn't resent him for something he had no knowledge of.

She was ripped from her thoughts when she tripped over a small tree stump and almost fell when someone caught her arm. She looked up to see Draco above her as he helped her find her balance again.

"You ok?" he asked her.

She nodded before she looked at his hand on her arm still and then her attention was quickly pulled away by the pain in her leg. She looked down at her thigh to see it bleeding again and she just gave a hard sigh before Hermione came running over to assist her. Ginny shook her head in annoyance, she knew Hermione was just trying to help, but every time she winced or tripped or anything she was by her side in an instant.

"Let me change that again-"

"I'll do it," Draco cut Hermione off after seeing the look on Ginny's face.

Hermione gave them a small smile before she nodded and headed back to the front of the group.

"I can do it," Ginny said, making his eyes snap up at hers when he heard her voice.

"Well, well, she speaks," he smirked before he ignored her request to do it herself and started bandaging her leg up.

She watched him for a few moments, her eyes traveling to his bloody cut up knuckles and then up to his bruised swollen face. She wondered what happened to him and Hermione while they were apart.

"There, all finished," he said, looking at her.

He stared into her eyes for what seemed like forever, he could feel her sadness and anger just by looking at her. Being away from Ginny these past few days were hard, but having her right here in front of him and not being able to kiss or hold her was unbearable. She also wasn't speaking to anyone which made it even harder. He wanted to kiss her so badly and at one moment he thought he was about to, but something in her eyes told him not to. He swallowed the emotional lump that formed and cleared his throat before he stood back up and held his hand out for her.

She looked at his outstretched hand for a moment before she accepted it and pulled herself up.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It wasn't much longer before they were walking up to the Zabini house. As soon as they walked through the wards any disablement charm on their wands would be lifted and they could perform magic again. Ginny saw her mother run from the house over to them and she felt this overwhelming sense of relief when she saw she was ok. Her mother was in hysterics at the sight of them and she felt herself people pulled into the tightest hug she thought she had ever received from her mother.

Molly pulled back and just looked at Ginny and Ron, the thought of Arthur's death was covering her face. Ginny felt her cup her face before she watched her mother and Ron break down into tears. She hugged her mother this time instead of her mother hugging her, she felt so numb right now, she felt guilty for not shedding a tear at reuniting with the rest of her family. Now that her family was all together again, it felt so much more real that her father was dead, something felt like it was missing and it was clearly him.

"Mrs. Weasley, we need to get Harry some medicine, he's in bad shape," Hermione said as Lucius and Pansy dragged him into the house.

Molly quickly wiped her tears and got straight to work on Harry, pushing all emotions aside for the moment. Everyone else started making their way inside and Ginny stopped outside of the doors and turned to look into the distance.

"You coming?" Draco asked her.

She let out a long sigh before she turned and walked inside.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny felt the water hit her skin and she winced as it ran over all of her cuts and bruises. Her mother healed her leg the best she could and had Harry stable from the infection. He was still unconscious, but Molly felt confident he would wake up soon. She needed this shower more than anything right now, she shuddered at the mere thought of having Will's hand on her and how he violated her. She watched her own blood and blood from the men she killed wash down the drain. She squeezed her hair out and saw the dried blood finally wash from her strands. She scrubbed as hard as her body would let her without causing more bruising or cuts. She finally gave up on feeling clean and got out of the shower and dried off.

She tried to avoid looking at herself in the mirror, but her eyes naturally traveled down to her thighs. After seeing the bruising she quickly threw her clothes on and walked into the room she was staying in. Her door was half open and she heard someone knock on it before they pushed it open the rest of the way.

"Hey, your mum made food and she demanded you eat something," Draco said with a small smirk.

She looked at him and how much better he looked after a shower, his platinum blond hair hung out of place as his eyes locked onto hers. She nodded and then turned back to what she was doing when Draco went to leave.

He stopped and turned back to her, "Ginny?" he called her name as he walked over to her.

Ginny didn't know why, but her instinct was to take a few steps back at his abrupt entrance into her room towards her. He noticed this and the look on his face tore a hole in Ginny's heart.

He took a step back, "I just wanted to tell you...if you want to talk about what happened out there...I'm here. I did some things I'm not proud of either..." he trailed off.

She just stared at him.

Again he went to walk away, but he turned back to her. "Listen, if I did something that upset you...I'm sorry. I mean I know you're going through some stuff, but if I angered you in some way, then-"

"Please stop," she suddenly said. "I'll be down in a few, please get out."

Once more her heart crumbled to pieces at the look on his face but having Draco try to apologize for something he didn't do made her want to break down right in front of him. She couldn't handle falling apart right now. He couldn't bear to look directly at her and he hung his head and just gave a quick nod before he quickly left the room.

Ginny followed after him a few minutes later and made her way down to the dining room and took a seat at the table beside Neville. She looked around the table and then turned to Neville.

"Where's Seamus and Luna?"

Neville gave her a sad look. "Seamus was killed when he was out there with your mum, she tried to save him, but..." he trailed off.

"And Luna?" she choked out.

"Luna is resting upstairs, she was with George, Bill, and Charlie when they were all ambushed. She has a broken arm and a bad head injury...she's been out for days," he explained.

Ginny looked across the table, not one of them sat there without some kind of injury. Her eyes snapped over to Pansy, who gave a small laugh at something Charlie said. She thought how Pansy had endured something so much worse than she did and yet she was here smiling and laughing...she was clearly able to have feelings again since she's with Harry. It gave her some sort of hope that maybe she could overcome this too after all.

"Ginny, dear, I made some muffins for later...banana nut and chocolate chip because I know they're your favorite," Molly said with a small smile.

Ginny locked eyes with Draco from across the table at the mention of the muffins, he just gave her a small smile. She turned her attention to her mother's face, she could tell her heart was in agony over the death of her father, but she somehow made sure there was always a hot meal for them all to eat.

She suddenly got up from the table and left the room and made her way back upstairs. She just couldn't stand any of it anymore, she understood now more than ever why Harry would choose to have her memories removed from such horrid events. She had just happened to be walking past Harry's room when she saw he was trying to sit up in bed. She quickly ran over to help him up and poured him a glass of water from the pitcher on the side of his bed.

"Here, drink some water," she said, handing it to him.

He went to grab it but he was so weak from everything the infection took out of him that it almost fell to the floor before Ginny caught the glass.

"Sorry," he said, as he watched Ginny wipe the water off her hands that spilled out.

"No worries, got plenty more," she said, refilling the glass and helping him take a sip.

"Thanks," he said.

She took a seat on the bed beside him.

"How long was I out?"

"Uh, you were in and out of consciousness for like three days now. The last time you were awake was yesterday afternoon."

He turned to look at her. "Hey?" he whispered to her.

She turned to look at him.

He could tell right away something wasn't right. "What happened?" his tone suddenly changing to one of concern.

Her eyes filled with tears. "I'll let Mum know you're awake," she quickly said before she left his bedroom.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny ripped the blankets off of herself and ran to the bathroom as fast as she could to empty her stomach. She pulled herself up from the floor and rinsed her mouth out before she took a quick glance in the mirror. She just shook her head and made her way down to the kitchen where she found Hermione already in there.

"Hey, sorry, did I wake you?" Hermione asked as she poured herself a cup of tea.

"No, I was having trouble sleeping...you?" she asked, taking a seat at the counter.

"Same," she sighed before she took it upon herself to pour Ginny a cup as well and handed it to her before joining her at the counter.

They were both quiet and just sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I told Ron I was pregnant tonight," Hermione said, a smile stretching across her face at the memory of his reaction.

Ginny just stared at her, "Wow, congrats...I had no idea, how did he take it?"

"He is happy, but of course worried given the current situation." she shrugged.

Ginny just nodded.

Hermione looked at her for a moment as Ginny looked down at her cup of tea. "Are you angry with Draco?" she asked.

Ginny looked up at her. "What makes you think that?"

Hermione just shrugged, "Just a feeling." she said before they both became quiet again.

Ginny heard Hermione clear her throat and she looked up to see she had tears in her eyes. Hermione just looked at her and shook her head. "Sorry, I can't seem to control it lately," she said as she quickly wiped them away. "I just...I just keep thinking about what happened out there."

Ginny couldn't take her eyes off of Hermione as she turned emotional.

"I thought I was going to die...they tied a noose around my neck and hung me from a tree, Ginny," she cried, her hands shaking as she wiped more of her tears away. "I'm sorry I'm unloading this on you, I just can't tell Ron about this right now."

"It's ok," she said, as she listened to the horrid story she told her.

"Anyway, enough of this," she said, continuing to dry up her tears. "But I just want you to know that Draco...he's a really great guy, Ginny. He saved my life numerous times, I saw what it did to him to kill Will's brother...but he did it to save me. Once he found out I was pregnant, he felt this obligation to make sure I made it home alive...and I know it's because of what happened to you and Harry."

Ginny held onto every word Hermione spoke, she had no idea what happened with Johnathan. Her heart broke when Hermione told her he protected her because he didn't want her to meet the same fate she and Harry had.

"I guess let me go finish having my breakdown in the bathroom," Hermione joked through her constant flowing tears with a small smile.

Ginny watched her get up and leave the room before she wiped her own tears that finally fell. She glanced over at the clock and saw it was almost three in the morning and gave a soft sigh before she made her way back upstairs. As she made her way down the hall, she stopped outside of the room Draco was staying in. She placed her hand on the doorknob unsure if she should go inside and leaned her forehead against the door. She took a deep breath in and let out a shaky one before she quietly opened the door and peeked her head inside the room.

She was surprised to see him already awake absent-mindedly flipping through a book. The room was dimly lit by just a small lamp, his mercury eyes still vibrant in the poorly lit room.

"Draco?"

He got up quickly once he realized it was her and went to walk over to her when he stopped himself.

"Ginny? Are you ok? What's wrong?" he asked, surprised by her sudden visit to his room after their earlier encounter.

She walked closer to him as she fidgeted with her hands and she started shaking her head as she fought the tears that fell. She could feel Draco wanting to grab her when he saw her cry.

"No, I'm not ok," she choked out. "That's why I need to talk to you."

She looked up at him, his eyes locked on hers. "Gin-"

"Just...just please don't say anything," she pleaded with him.

He nodded at her request, his heart was breaking to see her so distraught.

"I can't stand you thinking that you've done something wrong to me...because you didn't, so please stop apologizing," she cried harder.

He took a few steps towards her and he just wanted to hold her, but she held her hand out against his chest to keep him away.

"Ginny, please talk to me," he begged her.

She looked at him, "I love you, Draco...but I just can't be with you right now. It's nothing you've done...nothing. I just need you to give me some time...please," she pleaded with him as he went to put his hand over the one she had on his chest when she quickly pulled it away.

There was no way she could ever tell Draco what happened to her because of the actions he did. He couldn't stand to see her cry so to know it was his actions that led to her rape was something he would never be able to live with. She wanted to hopefully overcome her trauma from it so she could make things right with Draco again. After hearing Hermione's story and what Draco did, made her realize Will's words about Draco were just a way to turn her against him. She felt horrible because she knew Draco was confused about the cold shoulder she kept giving him. He assumed it was from the men she killed and that she needed to get through it and that's what she wanted him to think because the truth wasn't something he could ever know.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day Ginny made her way downstairs for the Order meeting and flashed Harry a quick smile when she saw he was finally up and about again. He still looked quite pale and a bit weak, but he was getting there. She took a seat at the table and of course glanced over at Draco, who did the same to her. Every time he looked at her, she wanted to break down and cry. She was so lost in her thoughts and the memory of that horrid day that she was hardly listening to anything the group was saying.

"I think our next obstacle is going to be dealing with whatever backlash comes from Draco killing Will's brother," Harry said.

"Yeah, look at what happened from the last one you killed," Ron chimed in. "The bloke is crazy, who knows what he has up his sleeve."

Ginny felt her heart start to race, she wanted to tell them there wouldn't be any consequences because she already faced them.

"It's best we all continue to stay here at the Zabini's this way the Order is together at any time if he does decide to come to our wards," McGonagall explained.

"Also, we know that he's been able to get some information out of Narcissa, so now we don't know how much he does know and how much more advanced he is." Harry continued, giving Draco and Lucius a sympathetic look.

Ginny looked up at Draco and saw the worry he had for his mother on his face. She felt so guilty for not being there for Draco like she should be right now.

Everyone's attention turned to outside when they heard the wards become compromised. They all jumped up and made their way outside to the front where Will, Joe and a few of his men were standing outside of the wards.

"My, my, Mr. Potter, you sure are looking a lot better these days," Will said with an evil smile as he slowly paced outside the wards.

"Why are you here Chamberlain?" Harry asked, his anger rising as he looked at the man who killed Arthur the last time he saw him.

"Just thought I'd stop by and welcome you all back," he said, stopping and looking at Ginny. "Oh, and of course to say hi to dear Ginny," he said with a smile.

Ginny felt her whole body tense up, her eyes fell on the scratch marks on his face from when she tried to fight him off of her.

"Where is Narcissa?" Lucius scowled.

"Ah, I'm glad you asked which brings me to the real reason I stopped by." He started slowly pacing again, folding his hands behind his back casually. "Let's be honest with ourselves...we both know this is going to come down to an all-out war. As it turns out, things with Narcissa have turned out better than I could ever hope for," he said. "DRACO!" he called out, nodding for him to come closer.

Draco glared at him for a moment before he took a few steps closer. Will's face grew angry as he approached him. He looked directly at Draco and his lip turned into a sneer as his hate for the blond just kept growing.

"NARCISSA! COME!" he called out suddenly.

Draco's eyes snapped over to where his mother emerged from behind a few of Will's men and walked over to Will.

"Mother?" Draco choked out as he saw the cut down her face and the unreadable expression on she had.

"Just to give you a preview of the advantage I now have," Will said before he looked at Narcissa. "Kill him," he said to her.

Narcissa walked through the ward with no problem since she was a part of the Order and was no threat to them...so they thought.

"NARCISSA, DON'T!" Lucius yelled out.

She acknowledged nothing he said and just pulled out her wand.

"Mother, what did he do to you? It's me, your son," he said, looking into her eyes.

She whipped her wand at him when Lucius deflected the spell she threw at Draco and got in front of him.

Will and his men were laughing at the scene unfold. "It's brilliant isn't it?" he said in an amused tone. "Alright, Narcissa that's enough, we won't kill them right now," he said, gesturing for her to come back over.

She looked at Lucius one last time before she lowered her wand and as she turned away he grabbed her arm. "Narcissa, I know you're in there still, he has your mind warped. We are your family, our son? You must remember something?"

She turned to look at him again, her eyes were sad. She opened her mouth to say something but Will cut her off.

"Come, come, Narcissa," he said as she walked back through the wards. "So as you can see she won't hesitate to kill any of you."

"Let my mother go, I'm the one who killed your brother...leave her out of this," Draco practically pleading at this point after seeing what they did to his mother.

Will just looked at him, "Oh, getting Narcissa to join my side was just an added bonus. I've already gotten justice for Johnathan's death...Ginny and I worked something out." he said, looking at Ginny with an evil smirk. "Didn't we?"

Every head turned to look at her, both Draco and Harry had the most surprised looks on their face.

"WHAT?" Draco asked, looking at her.

She took a few steps back as she started to replay that horrid day in her head.

"Well, looks like you all have some catching up to do...I'll be back... and this time...people will die," Will said as he and his men disappeared.

Ginny quickly made her way into the house, tears already stinging her eyes.

"WAIT A DAMN SECOND, GINNY!" Draco yelled out, grabbing her arm. "What kind of fuckin deal did you make with Chamberlain? What was he talking about?" he asked, his tone angry.

Harry looked just as upset, "Why wouldn't you say anything to us about something like that? What did you agree to, Ginny?" Harry demanded.

Ginny ripped her arm out of Draco's grasp and backed away from him. "It's over with, it doesn't matter anymore," she said, attempting to walk out of the room.

"Ginny, we all need to be ready for anything when it comes to Will and his men... if you made some kind of deal with him we need to know," Hermione said.

Ginny just looked at everyone's eyes on her, she looked at her mother, who gave her a pleading look to just share whatever info she had with them.

"There is no deal, it was either Draco or me and I didn't want you to get hurt," she said, locking eyes with Draco as tears fell from hers. "Like he said, it was all worked out," she cried, trying desperately to not completely fall apart.

"WHAT WAS WORKED OUT?" Draco yelled angrily.

"HE RAPED ME, OK!" she screamed out.

The entire room fell silent.

Harry took a few steps closer to her, his face filled with both anger and disbelief. "W-what?" He asked, unsure if he heard her correctly.

"He raped me. He said he would hurt Draco and I agreed to take whatever the consequence was..." she trailed off and looked at Draco.

The only expression on his face was shock as his eyes pierced into hers with something that broke every single piece of her heart that was left. She turned and ran from the room and up to hers, she knew someone was close behind her, but she just had to get away from the crowd. She walked into her room and felt her body trembling from head to toe. She turned to see Harry standing in the doorway and they just stared at each other for a moment.

"No," he whispered into the room. "Ginny, no...please tell me it didn't happen," he cried out, as he placed a hand over his chest as the news literally hurt his heart to hear. "I tried to save you...all this time I've been trying to protect you..." he completely fell apart before her.

She grabbed him in her arms as he fell to his knees.

"I'm so sorry, Ginny...I'm so sorry this happened to you," he sobbed against her chest.

She just held him, she knew how hard Harry tried to protect her and the lengths he went to to do so. What he sacrificed and gave up just for her happiness and in the end she ended up getting hurt anyway. She couldn't imagine how he must have felt, and then, of course, there was Draco, she didn't even have the mental ability to even try to understand what he must be feeling right now.

He looked at her tear-stained face and composed himself enough so that he could support Ginny instead of her supporting his breakdown. He gently pulled her to him again and wrapped his arms tightly around her. She let everything out right there in his arms, it was always easy for her to let everything out in front of Harry. She always felt so safe around him, he always had her best interest at heart. Then she thought of Draco, her crying intensified as she thought of what was going through his mind right now. He was the only other person she felt as safe and comfortable with, but this time was different...she was scared to be with him. Not because she was scared of him, but her being violated in such a horrid way made her afraid of facing any more consequences from being with him.

She knew that wasn't the way to think and she was desperately trying to get her heart and her mind on the same page. Draco did nothing wrong, in fact, he did everything right, he even gave her the space she asked for even though it was tearing him apart.

Harry continued to hold her for a while in his arms just softly rocking her until she finally stopped crying. She crawled out of his lap and took a seat beside him and ran her hand through her hair before she looked up at him. She could tell he was still comprehending the news and was unsure of what else to say to her.

"I have to talk to, Draco," she softly said, her voice hoarse.

He nodded.

"I...I don't even know what to say to him, Harry," she choked out as she became emotional again. "I love him so much, but this experience has completely put this wall up between us and I'm trying so hard to break through it, Harry...I really am." she cried.

"Gin?"

She stopped talking and looked at him.

"Stop trying to break through that wall and let it come down on its own. You have a lot to sort through and I think Draco is going to understand more than you think. He loves you more than I think he even loved Astoria...don't tell him I said that." he said with a small smile, making her crack the first one she had in a while. "I think the both of you are going to have a lot to work out emotionally and mentally first before you go right back into a relationship...don't rush it," he said, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He heard a knock on his door and ignored it, his mind was only on one thing...Ginny. He felt so guilty and completely unworthy of having any love from Ginny at this point. The fact that she could still let him know that she loved him, but she just had to work things out showed just how strong she really was.

He heard another knock, but the last thing he wanted to do right now was see anyone, especially because he was the reasoning behind Ginny's rape. He already knew people would tell him it wasn't really his fault and that nobody could have known, but it still was soul crushing to know he caused it to happen.

After the third knock, he heard the door open and someone walk inside. He felt them sit down beside him on the couch and they were quiet for a few moments.

"Don't do this to yourself Draco...it's nobody's fault besides Chamberlain's," she said softly, leaning over to see his face as he hung his head.

She watched the tears from his face fall to the floor.

He turned to look at Pansy, she had a sad look on her face as she watched him before he turned away once more.

"When I was in this same position...when it happened to me, there was nothing that anyone could say that could fix what happened or make it ok. It was just something that I had to get through myself. I wanted to blame somebody so bad and for the longest, I blamed my parents, even after they were killed. I hated them for getting us involved in such a life and now I was the one paying for it. In the end, though, the fault was always with Chamberlain and his men, they were the ones who did it, nobody else, no matter the actions of my parents or me from the past. They had nothing to do with what happened to me. You are a good man, Draco," she said, placing a hand on his. "Please, remember that... and accept it, because it's true."

He wiped his face from the flow of tears he desperately tried to hold back, a mad look covering his face as he grew angry with himself.

She stood up and gave him another sad look, "She's going to be ok, Draco." she softly said before she left his room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"You're heading to bed, hopefully? You need to rest." Pansy said as she approached Harry in the hallway.

"Well, I'm going to my room, I don't know how much sleep I'll be getting," he sighed as he walked into his bedroom with Pansy behind him.

"How is she?"

He looked at her and he just shook his head. "I don't know...I don't really know how she's doing honestly. What about Draco?" he asked, as he let Pansy guide him over to his bed, not paying attention to what he was doing.

Pansy picked his shirt up to make sure his wound was still healing well. "He wouldn't talk to me, but...it was hard to see Draco Malfoy in such a state," she said, looking up at him.

He finally realized he was in his bed and just gave her a smile as he locked eyes with her. "Thanks, Pansy, for everything you did for me out there."

She just gave him a bright smile, "You're welcome Harry, you're lucky I love you or I'd have left you to die out there," she joked as she leaned over him and grabbed a throw blanket for him.

He watched her bite her lip suddenly when she realized what she said and quickly glanced at him. He stared right at her, the love word being the only part of the sentence he seemed to be taking in.

She cleared her throat. "You need to rest, you look like hell and you are still fighting this thing off," She quickly said, covering him with the blanket.

"Pansy?"

"Come on, lay down, you really need to rest," she said, gently placing her hands on his shoulders to push him down.

"Pansy?"

"Just let me know if you need anything," she said and quickly turned to leave when he got out of bed and grabbed her wrist and pulled her around to face him.

She was suddenly in his arms and he grabbed her face in both hands and pulled her lips to his. She thought her body would completely melt right then and there as her body covered in goosebumps.

He looked at her and felt her smile against his lips, "I love you too," he said before he pulled her to him again.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny looked at the clock and saw it was almost five thirty in the morning. She sat up and threw some clothes on and made her way down the hall to Draco's room. She hadn't seen or spoken to him since yesterday and she was really worried about him. She was starting to realize by living her life in this depressed and frightened state just meant that Will won in the end and she didn't want that. She had to make some kind of effort to get her mind to a better state so that wall she told Harry about could finally come down. She just kept thinking how Will has literally taken almost everything she had from her. He's done the most vile things to her and her family and friends that she realized there wasn't anything else he could really hurt her with...and as disturbing as it sounded...she found some comfort in that. It almost brought this strength out in her that she didn't think she had left.

She quietly opened the door to Draco's room and made her way inside. She saw him lying in bed, but was unsure if he was asleep or not.

"Draco?" she whispered into the dark room, just the light from the moon filling it.

He opened his eyes at the sound of her voice and sat up as she made her way over and took a seat on his bed. They just looked at each other for a few moments, she could tell he had been emotional about everything.

"I'm sorry Ginny," he choked out.

She reached up and put her hand on his face. "Let's go watch the sunrise," she suddenly said, wiping away a stray tear that ran down his cheek.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He watched her hair whip around her face as the early morning breeze hit their faces. The rising sun caught her strands every so often and lit up her entire face and those amber eyes. He loved her so much, he missed her.

"I've never seen Pristine Point in the daylight," he said, looking out into the ocean as they walked along the beach. "It's so quiet without all the partying," he smirked.

She gave a small smile. "Yeah, and I'm usually pretty wasted the first hour I'm here to admire the place," she said with a small giggle.

He smiled at her laugh, it had been so long since he heard it, he wanted to grab her and kiss her so badly.

She stopped walking and kicked her shoes off before she walked down to the edge of the water and nodded for Draco to join her. He stood beside her and she felt that first wave hit her feet and it somehow made her emotional.

"I want so badly to forget...I just want to be able to close my eyes and not feel him on top of me...inside of me," she cried, the last part of her sentence she barely choked out.

Draco was taken aback by her sudden openness about what happened. He didn't care though, as hard as it was to hear he wanted to be there for her.

She looked at him and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I know we don't bring our real lives to this place-"

"No, Ginny, it's ok," he said, gently grabbing her shoulders.

He quickly took his hands off of her. "Sorry," he said, the last thing he wanted to do was to make her feel uncomfortable with him touching her in any way.

She just stared into his eyes, his touch was so gentle but there was this protective firm hold behind them that made her feel like everything was going to be ok. She took a step closer to him, their face inches apart.

"Please kiss me already," she whispered.

He didn't hesitate a second longer, he pulled her to him the rest of the way and pressed his lips firmly against hers. He had to try so hard to hold back so his aggressive need for her lips on his didn't scare her. He was surprised when it was her who intensified the kiss for a moment and then stopped suddenly. She was crying at this point and buried her face in his chest. He gently grabbed her face with both hands, letting his fingers get tangled in her hair. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs before kissing her softly on the cheek and pulling her into a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, finally!
> 
> I did want to go over the scene when Harry follows Ginny after he hears the news...I really thought that scene had to happen, Harry has committed so much of the last few years to trying to protect her and keeping her away from all that darkness. He just felt like he failed her after everything...and the one memory he had still managed to keep from and she ended up in that situation anyway in the end. It just broke him... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!
> 
> REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! 3


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say a big thanks to all of my readers who have been so loyal and have taken the time to review my work, it means so much, even the reviewers that disagree with the route the story took =D I feel so flattered to have so many nice comments from you guys. I never expected to for people to like my writing so much, thank you!
> 
> If you haven't joined my Facebook group yet you're missing out. I post chapter previews and have open discussions on the story and other pieces I've written so be sure to join.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Ginny heard the sound of distant laughing hit her ears, making her stir in her sleep. The laughing became louder and she opened her eyes and looked around her bedroom at the Burrow.

"GINNY, BREAKFAST!" she heard her mother yell out.

She climbed out of bed and looked out the window, the sun was shining brightly and she thought how nice it would be to ride her broom today. She headed downstairs and heard laughing again, except it was more a small giggle......a baby's giggle. She walked into the kitchen and saw her mum place a plate down in her usual spot and motioned for her to sit.

She went to walk over when she stopped and saw her father sitting at the head of the table.

"Dad?" She ran over and threw her arms around him.

"Well, good morning to you too, Ginbug, I wish I got Good morning hugs like this every day," he laughed. "Right, Lily?" he said, making the baby sitting in on his knee giggle again.

"Lily?" Ginny whispered out, her eyes welling with tears.

As soon as Lily saw Ginny, she started whining for her to pick her up as she stretched out her little arms for Ginny to take her.

"Looks like someone wants their mummy," Arthur said, passing her off to Ginny.

Ginny took the baby in her arms and looked at her, she was perfect, and she had Harry's eyes of course. She couldn't believe she was holding her daughter, the feeling of having her daughter in her arms made everything in her life good again. Lily took her little hand and placed it on Ginny's cheek and just gave this little babble before she smiled. Ginny hugged her little body to her and felt her soft ginger strands tickle her nose as she took in the smell of her hair.

"Ginny, what's wrong, dear?" asked her mother, seeing the tears in Ginny's eyes.

Ginny looked at Lily's little face, "Nothing, I'm just happy," she said, placing a kiss on Lily's forehead. "I love you, baby girl....mummy loves you so much."

She heard Lily's giggling start to fade and she suddenly opened her eyes and was staring at the bedroom she had been staying in at the Zabini's. She just smiled at the memory of her dream; she finally got to hold her while she was so full of life. Even if it was just a dream, it was something more than she could ever hope for.

She saw it was pretty early still and decided to get up and made her way downstairs to the kitchen where she found her mother already starting breakfast. Molly stopped when she saw Ginny enter the kitchen, she had been trying to talk to Ginny since she found out what happened but she hardly said a word to her.

"Do you want some help?" Ginny asked, giving her a small smile.

Molly happily nodded. "I would love that."

Ginny started to mix some pancake batter and looked at her mother's face. She was so heartbroken over losing her father; her parents were the happiest couple she knew. They loved each other so much; she knew how heartbroken her mum was.

"I dreamed of Dad and Lily," she said.

Molly looked at her and gave a wide smile.

"Of course you were cooking breakfast in the dream and Dad was in his usual spot," she laughed, making Molly give a light laugh also.

"I miss him so much, Ginny."

"I know, me too, Mum......me too."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny made her way down the hall after helping her mum with breakfast and gave a quick knock on Draco's bedroom door.

"Come in," he called out before she walked inside.

She watched him for a moment going through his drawers.

"Breakfast is ready," she said, leaning against the door frame.

He slid his shirt off and threw it aside before throwing another one on, his hair was still wet from his shower as it hung around his face. "Just trying to find something decent to put on, I miss my wardrobe," he said, taking his shirt off once more as he looked for another.

Ginny couldn't help but stare, it had been a while since she and Draco were intimate and the mere thought of being that way again with him scared her. She felt wrong for even thinking of him in that way after the recent events. She quickly looked away from his bare chest as he turned to look at her.

"I guess this will have to do," he said, sliding his final decision over his head.

"Perfect," she said.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"It's fine, it's not sore or anything anymore," Harry said.

"Let me see," Pansy said with her hand on her hip.

"No"

"I said let me see it," she demanded, attempting to lift his shirt as he fought to keep it down.

"I told you, it's all healed."

Pansy reached forward and pinched his side.

"AHH, FUCK! WHAT THE HELL, PANSY?" he growled out.

"Yeah, see I knew you were still in pain," she said, giving him a smug smile.

"You're a psycho."

"You have no idea baby, now, here take this," she said, shoving a pain relief potion in his hands.

"Um, hey," Ginny called from the doorway.

They both snapped their heads over to her.

"Oh, hey Gin," Harry said, looking at her forgetting him and Pansy's playful banter.

She gave a small smile. "Uh, can I talk to you for a moment.....in private?" she asked, as she fidgeted with her hands.

"Yeah, sure," he said.

"Actually......I was talking to Pansy." Ginny said, locking eyes with Harry.

He just looked at her; he assumed she wanted to talk to Pansy about what happened to her. "Oh, of course," he said before he left the room and closed the door.

"What's up, Weaslette?" Pansy asked, taking a seat on the bed.

"Um.....this is actually really awkward."

"Just say what's on your mind," she said, urging her to go on.

"Uh, how long....how long after everything that happened to you.....how long was it before......you know..." she trailed off.

"Before.....what?" Pansy asked.

"Before.....you were.....you know-"

"Oh," Pansy finally caught on. "Had sex again?" she blurted out.

"Yeah," Ginny said, her hands were shaking at this point from the uncomfortable conversation.

Pansy seemed to pick up on this and patted the spot beside her for Ginny to sit. "Listen, Ginny.... everyone is different. I didn't have a need or want afterward because I wasn't with anyone. Harry was the first person I was with after all of that and that was a while later. Now that doesn't mean I wouldn't have done it sooner. I'm assuming and hoping that we're talking about Draco and not Longbottom?" she teased.

Ginny just laughed. "Yes, definitely Draco," she felt a bit more relaxed after Pansy's casual and open take on the situation.

"Well, when I was finally with Harry in an intimate way I was worried how I would feel after it.....during it......even before. But, when it was happening.....it just felt right and I wasn't nervous and somehow, I felt safe," she said, her tone more serious and full of emotion.

Ginny just nodded, she completely understood what she meant. Her mind went back to that day in Draco's bedroom when she accidentally took the Veritaserum and how amazing her experience with Draco was.

"Besides, Draco would NEVER initiate things probably after what happened and even if he did, he would make sure you were ready for that," she said with a smile. "He loves you too much."

"Thanks, Pansy," she said with a small smile.

"No problem Ginny, I'm here if you ever want to talk."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny took a seat at the table beside Draco and gave him a small smile before they both turned their attention to Harry. She saw Luna was at the meeting today and was happy to see her up and about; she was still her quirky self but not as much as she once was. Ginny hoped after she continued to heal, she would be back to normal......well Luna's version of normal.

"I called an emergency meeting because this just came a little while ago," Harry said, holding up the letter. "It's just addressed to the Order and I haven't opened it yet."

Everybody stared at Harry in anticipation. He opened it up and looked to see who it was from first and his eyes snapped over to Draco. "It's from Narcissa."

Ginny could feel Draco's body tense up just by sitting next to him, she instinctively put her hand on his.

I don't have much time to write this, but I just wanted you all to know I have not gone mad. I just want Chamberlain and his men to think I have and to think I'm on their side. I will be safer this way as well. I overheard Will talking to Joe about one of their brothers.....Ethan, I think his name is. He IS NOT here and from the vibe I got he doesn't know of any of the horrid things his brothers have done...I don't think they speak. They also mentioned a girl's name.....maybe a sister, but from what they said she is supposed to be in hiding......they seem quite protective over her.....Elizabeth I think. I don't know the details, but maybe you can find Ethan and use him or this girl against them?

Narcissa

"Finally, something of advantage to us," Ron said.

"Even if we find Ethan or this Elizabeth girl, we don't know that Chamberlain will even respond the way we think, he might not care," Hermione explained.

"Yeah, but it doesn't seem like we really have much choice right now," Lucius said. "Having Narcissa on the inside is a huge advantage to us alone. If she could figure out where she is then we could finally find where Chamberlain and his men are hiding out."

"Will mentioned something about a sister when he told me about his family, but he said she was killed. So Elizabeth can't be his sister. Unless, she's not really dead and she really is in hiding, then he must want to keep her protected," Ginny said.

A few people were surprised to hear her speak up; she had barely spoken a sentence since she got back.

"That's very true Miss Weasley, however, are we suggesting or about to stoop to their level and hold someone against their will?" McGonagall asked.

"Nobody said anything about kidnapping or abducting anyone so all of you need to calm down. First, let's try to find Ethan and see if he'll talk to us, maybe he knows about Elizabeth." Harry said, holding his hands up to stop anyone else from talking. "The other bit of news that Mrs. Zabini gave me this morning is this," he said, throwing a copy of the Daily Prophet in the middle of the table.

Ginny was the first to grab it when she saw Harry's picture on it. "YOU'RE BEING ACCUSED OF MURDERING KINGSLEY?" she yelled out, anger rising in her voice.

"That's how Will was able to drive me out of the Ministry and gain control," Harry said.

"So technically, anyone of us can walk in there without being killed or attacked?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, yes, it's still the Ministry....there are still laws and rules that are somewhat in place. Not all Aurors will follow Chamberlain. He has crooked Aurors working for him most definitely, but he would be stupid to do anything there." Harry explained. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, there is probably a file on Ethan or Elizabeth, maybe someone could-"

"NO!" Harry cut him off. "If Will was to catch any of us stealing....we might as well consider us all dead."

"What about Polyjuice Potion? If one of us could look like Will or Joe, we could look through as many files as we wanted," Hermione suggested.

"That's a great idea, but we would need someone to get close enough to them to get a hair sample," Ron chimed in.

Draco and Ginny exchanged a quick look and he shook his head no at her, already knowing what she had in mind. Harry also saw her from across the table and slammed his fist down in anger.

"DON'T!" he yelled at her. "Don't you even think it," he practically hissed at her before he quickly left the room.

Ginny got up and followed him out into the hall, she just watched him run his hands through his messy hair.

"Harry-"

"Do you actually think I would EVER let you near him again? Promise me you won't do anything stupid, Ginny."

"But, Harry-"

"PROMISE ME!" he screamed at her, making her jump.

She quickly nodded.

He grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, she could hear his heart racing against her. The mere thought of her even doing something like that had him frantic. He grabbed her face with both hands and looked at her.

"I love how brave you are Ginny, and I love that you will put your own life and well-being on the line to help someone else, but please.....PLEASE.....don't do anything stupid."

"I promise."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny appeared outside of the gates to Hogwarts and took in the giant castle for a few moments. When McGonagall suggested they take a look through the school files to see if any of the Chamberlain family had attended she and a few others wanted the opportunity to get out of the house and revisit their old school. McGonagall thought there might be an address they could look into in hopes of finding at least Ethan.

It had been so long since Ginny had been back here, sure she had a few bad memories but the good ones outweighed the bad. She hadn't smiled this much in so long it seemed and when she looked at Harry, Ron and Hermione it made her smile even wider at their reactions. She turned to look at Draco, he glanced at her and gave her a small smirk.

"Does seeing this place remind you of how much an arse you were to us?" she teased.

He gave a small laugh, "Ah, yes the good old days." he joked as Ginny slapped him on the arm.

They stuck together and walked around a good part of the castle just reminiscing of their Hogwarts days. Draco walked into the Gryffindor common room with the rest of them and looked around.

"So this is where the famous trio partook in recreational activity?" he said.

"This is where we came to curse the bloody hell out of you," Ron laughed.

Draco threw a pillow from the couch at Ron's face and Ginny went over and picked it up with a small giggle. She looked out the window over to the Quidditch pitch.

"Guys, I have an idea."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He was breathing heavily as sweat dripped from his forehead and he grabbed a bottle of water and downed most of it. He looked over at Harry who was in the same state he was and he shook his head.

"We're fuckin pathetic looking right now," Draco said, wiping his forehead off.

"Tell me about it, I'm not as limber as I once was....she's putting us to shame," Harry said through his heavy breaths as Ginny came to a halt on her broom in front of them with the snitch in her hand.......again.

"Come on you guys, we've only done three games. Do you need a break?" she said, her hair sticking to her sweaty face, but her smile was as radiant as ever.

She looked over at Ron, who was lying on the bench with his head in Hermione's lap after the first game was over. She gave a small giggle and then looked at Harry and Draco again. "Come on grandpas'.....are you upset because you're losing to a girl?"

Draco got up and got on his broom again. "Alright Weaslette, this time I'm not holding back,"

"Oh, wow really? So this time I can actually expect a mediocre performance from you?"

Draco gave her an angry sneer before he pushed off the ground and went in search of the snitch. Ginny just sat on her broom with her feet on the ground still and watched him.

"You better get up there before he finds it," Harry said with an amused smile.

"Oh, he's not going to find it," she said.

"Why's that?"

"Because I still have it in my hand," she laughed, holding out her palm to reveal the snitch.

They both erupted into laughter before she finally let it go and then took off after it.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco finished drying his hair and threw the towel aside and stood in the middle of the Head Boy room in the Slytherin common room. He walked over to some pictures on the wall of previous Slytherin students from past years. There were a few Quidditch team ones where his eyes landed on one of his team. He just gave a small smirk at what a slimeball he was before he sensed someone's eyes on him and turned to see Ginny standing there.

"Nice! This Head boy room is way bigger than the Head boy and Girl's ones in the Gryffindor common room."

"Don't get too jealous, the water pressure sucks, look at my poor hair," he said as he attempted to fix it.

"Oh, my water pressure was just fine," she teased, waving her washed ginger locks back and forth making him give a small smile.

"Did McGonagall find anything?" he asked.

"Yeah, actually, all of them went here, except for this Elizabeth girl....there is no record of her, but she's looking for addresses and some other stuff so....so far so good," she said.

He nodded and found himself just looking at her. She was absolutely stunning in every way possible. Her smile was contagious, he couldn't help but feel anything but happy when he looked at her smile.

"What?" she asked, noticing his eyes on her as she walked over to him.

He just shook his head. "Nothing," he said, looking back up to see her eyes locked on his.

She could tell it was something more than nothing, "You're lying," she whispered.

He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear before he gently ran his thumb over her bottom lip. The smell of her hair reached his nose and the feel of her breath hitting his thumb drove him crazy. He felt horrible for thinking of how badly he wanted her right now, but he couldn't help the way she made him feel.

Ginny heard the conversation she had with Pansy the other day ring through her head. She looked up into those mercury eyes, the feel of his hand on her face and his body against hers made everything seem ok. She didn't feel scared....she felt safe and she knew she wouldn't be able to stop once she started to kiss him.

Draco grabbed her face with both hands and pulled her to him and hesitated for a moment before she closed the distance between them with her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to him as he held her close to him. The taste of her kisses was intoxicating and he heard her let out the tiniest of moans that drove his hands to travel down to the small of her back and push her even closer to him.

He felt her hands slide under his shirt and the feel of her hands on his bare chest made him slide hers off over her head. He barely had it over her head when she had her lips on his again. He was surprised by her aggressiveness and took it as a sign to get a little rough with her. He unclasped her bra as she undid his pants then his hands went to her waistline where he unbuttoned her pants. They were both completely naked at this point and had their lips locked with one another as he backed her up onto the bed.

His body was on top of her as his hands traveled her naked form and his lips traveled down to her neck. She let out a pleasurable moan and ran her fingers through his hair and her other hand along his back. His hand traveled down to her thigh when he suddenly felt her entire body tense up. The hand she had on his back dug into him and he stopped to look at her.

"Are you ok?" he asked her.

She nodded before she pulled him back down to kiss him. After a few moments he was convinced she was ok to keep going he started to let his hands travel again. He let his hand travel between her legs when she tensed up once more and he stopped again and looked at her.

"I'm so sorry," she said through her heavy breathing. "I really want this.....I just...." she trailed off.

He looked at her, why was she apologizing to him, he should be the one apologizing. "Hey, you don't have to apologize for a damn thing. I will stop, the last thing I want to do is make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe," he said, caressing her arm.

"I don't want you to stop.....and I do feel safe," she said in a small voice.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded before she took his hand and guided him down to her thigh before she let go and let out a shaky breath.

"Hey, you actually let me be on top this time," he smirked at her making her laugh. "It's always a fight to see who gets to be on top."

"You get to be on top all the time."

"Are you kidding? Once maybe, all the other times you're always so controlling," he said, making her slap him playfully.

He started kissing her again, she relaxed a lot after Draco changed the subject to get her mind off of her uncertainty. She let him between her legs this time and suddenly felt his erection against her begging for entrance.

He looked at her, still a bit of uncertainty on her face. "Hey," he said making her eyes lock with his. "I love you and I would never hurt you, Ginny."

She smiled at his words before she pressed her lips to his once more and felt him push into her. She was so worried about how she would feel during this moment, but the only thing she felt right now was how incredibly in love she was with the man on top of her. This thought and feeling made the moment that much more pleasurable and she soon let out a loud moan that had Draco rocking harder into her.

She rolled him onto his back as her hair wildly fell around her face and over her bare shoulders. She felt his hands on her hips pulling her down harder onto him, every thrust becoming more and more pleasurable. She felt him kissing her chest; his tongue running over her nipple and he gave it a tiny nip making her give a satisfying smirk.

He felt her orgasm around his throbbing cock and felt her practically collapse in his arms as he turned her on her back once more and was on top of her again. As soon as he felt her climax he released his soon after. He just looked at her to see if she was still ok, he was so relieved to see a smile on her face.

"See, I told you-you're always on top," he said through his heavy breathing.

She let out a light giggle. "I let you get some top action, you won in the end." she laughed against his lips as he kissed her once more.

He looked down at her, "Are you sure you're ok?" he asked again, he was worried she regretted everything that just happened.

He started questioning everything in his head and cursed himself for not holding off. Ginny seemed to pick up on his thoughts because she grabbed his face with both hands and looked him straight in the eyes.

"I promise, I'm ok......I really am."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So what exactly is the plan here? We're just going to knock on this person's door and be like "Oh, hey do you know where the family that used to live here is now because they are a bunch of psychotic murders?" Ron said, walking up the street with Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco beside him.

"Obviously not, Ronald, but it's a start so let's try something," Hermione snapped, shooting him a glare.

"Someone's got mood swings-" He stopped when she gave him an even deadlier glare.

They all stopped in front a large suburban house and just stood there for a few moments admiring it.

"It's hard to believe someone like Chamberlain lived here at one point," Draco said with a sneer.

"Alright, well all of us can't go up to the door, we'll look mental.....Hermione....actually you seem to be a bit snappy today, Ginny, come with me," Harry said.

"What about us?" Ron asked as he and Draco stood in the street as Harry and Ginny walked up the driveway.

"Um, no offense, but neither of you guys is very personable," Harry shrugged with a smirk.

Ron scoffed at his comment and turned to Draco, "Do you believe that?"

"Yes, Weasley, I do, now fuck off," he said, walking away from Ron.

Harry and Ginny made their way up to the front door and rang the doorbell.

"You think this is a waste of time?" She asked him.

"It's a long shot, but I'm willing to try anything," he said with a small smile.

The door opened and they both stood there completely caught off guard. The man was definitely from the Chamberlain line, he had the same features and looked almost identical to Will.

"Harry Potter?" he asked.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a quick looked.

"I'm sorry, do we know-"

"Know each other? No, but who doesn't know who you are? You did defeat Voldemort after all....it's really an honor to meet you in person," he said with a bright smile.

"Oh, um....thanks. Uh, so....are you Ethan?" he asked.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Is it possible we could take a few minutes of your time?" Harry asked.

"Absolutely, come on in," he said, opening the door all the way for them to walk inside.

"Uh, I have some friends waiting for us, do you mind if they join us?" Harry asked, nodding to Hermione, Ron, and Draco waiting in the street.

"Not at all, any friend of yours is a friend of mine," he said happily.

Harry gave him a forced smile as he whistled down to the others to join him and Ginny.

"This is getting really weird," Ginny whispered to Harry.

"You're just jealous because he's a fan of my work," Harry joked, making Ginny give him a hard pinch.

Ethan led them all into the living room where most of them took a seat. The house was cozy and clean and quite inviting. Ginny paced the room a moment and took in some pictures on the wall. She felt uneasy being inside of this house and being so close to a man that resembled Will so much was starting to make her stomach turn. She was pulled from her thoughts when a woman walked into the room.

"Alice, this is Mr. Potter and a few of his friends, they just had a few questions. This is my wife Alice," Ethan said.

She gave them all a warm smile and then excused herself to go pour some drinks.

"So, what kind of questions do you have for me, Mr. Potter? I know you work at the Ministry so is this questioning coming from-"

"No," Harry said, cutting him off. "This has nothing to do with the Ministry or any case,"

"We were hoping to ask you some questions in regards to your brother......Will." Hermione cautiously asked.

"William?" he whispered out, his entire persona changed at the mention of his brother's name. "He's alive?" he asked, unsure of what the answer would be.

"Yes, why would you think he was dead?" Harry asked.

"I haven't spoken to William or any of my brothers for years now.....ever since......" he trailed off.

"Ever since what?" Ginny asked, she needed to know what was at the end of that sentence.

Ethan cleared his throat, it was apparent the topic had become personal. "Please know, the only reason I'm agreeing to share any of this information with you is that I'm grateful to you and your friends for stopping Voldemort. My family had suffered some horrible things during those dark days....my parents were murdered....so needless to say I feel somewhat indebted to you," he explained.

Harry just nodded as he waited in anticipation for more information.

"After our parents were killed during a Death Eater raid, naturally Will and I as well as my other brothers and sister were filled with anger. My brother William was desperate for revenge and one night......he talked some of my brothers, myself included, into taking out a few Death Eaters, but things went south and Will and our sister Jessica were taken. This particular group of followers wasn't keeping prisoners and so my sister was..... brutally raped and murdered right in front of Will."

Ginny felt her body stiffen as she listened to what Will's past really held. It was hard to hear and somehow so easy for her to imagine since she had met a similar fate not too long ago. She felt Draco's hand on her back and gave her a comforting rub as he picked up on her emotions.

"After Jessica was killed, for some reason they let Will go, we weren't really sure why at the time, but that night when he went home to his wife-"

"Wife?" they all said in unison.

"Yes, William had a wife...her name was Elaina," Ethan said.

"Had? So she's...."

"Dead? Yes.....that night my brother was put under an Imperius curse and he was forced to kill her and his two children."

Ginny hated herself for feeling any kind of sympathy for Will right now, the man who raped her and killed her child and father.....how the hell did she feel an ounce of sympathy for him right now. Perhaps it was understanding more than sympathy? Was she justifying his actions? Definitely not, but she could definitely understand what drove him to become the man he is today.

"After that happened, Will disappeared for a few weeks and then turned up at my doorstep one day with this plan for vengeance. As much as I wanted justice I couldn't follow him and so we never spoke since. I have a wife and a kid of my own that I need to think of first and he was too overcome with anger to understand.....he really is a good man.....all of them are." he explained, a sad look on his face. "I heard of my brother Thomas' death from Joseph a few years ago, but never knew what happened and never heard from any of my brothers since."

"I killed him," Draco said suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Ethan asked.

"DRACO!" Harry yelled out.

"Screw this guy, I don't give a fuck what any of these bastards went through, what about what we're going through? What his scumbag brother has done to all of us?" Draco shouted, his anger rising.

"What has Will done?" Ethan asked, a look of genuine concern on his face.

"WHAT HAS HE DONE? MORE LIKE WHAT HASN'T HE DONE!" Draco yelled, flipping the coffee table over getting ready to jump on Ethan before Harry held him back.

"Draco, we need answers.....calm down," Harry pleaded with him.

Draco just shook his head, he looked over to Ginny, who had tears in her eyes from the overwhelming information they all got.

He turned back to Ethan, "Your brother......brothers, may have been good men at one time, but they are nothing more than killers now. A good man doesn't kill unborn babies or almost murder pregnant women. A good man doesn't slaughter someone's father before their eyes... A GOOD MAN DOESN'T RAPE A DEFENSELESS WOMAN. A GOOD MAN DOESN'T HANG A PREGNANT WOMAN BY A NOOSE FROM A TREE!" he bellowed, gesturing towards Hermione making Ron look at her with a shocked expression.

Harry didn't bother holding Draco back any longer, he was right.... it was about them now not Will and his past.

Draco grabbed Ethan roughly by the shirt and threw him up against the wall. "I killed Thomas...I killed Johnathan and I'm looking forward to the day I kill that bastard Joe....and as for Will.....he'll get what's coming to him," he said with a sneer before he released him.

The room fell silent.

"Who is Elizabeth?" Ginny suddenly asked.

Ethan looked right at her, he could see all the pain in Ginny's face.

Ginny could tell he didn't want to answer her, but she could tell he was in shock over the horrid news he heard about his brothers. "She's Will's youngest daughter.....she was almost killed by him that night, but the curse was lifted before he did any more harm to her. She was sent away to live with relatives and from my understanding, Will hasn't seen her since.......he won't go near her after what happened."

"Do you know where she is?" Harry asked.

Ethan reluctantly nodded.

"Good, because you're going to help us kidnap her."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco knocked on Ginny's bedroom door twice before he opened it and saw her looking out the window. She turned to look at him and then turned back to the night sky.

"Where is he?" she asked, looking at the moonlight shine across the Zabini's front lawn.

"He's staying in the room across the house near my father's, he'll keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't take off," he said, walking over to her.

When they forced Ethan to come with them so that he could take them to Elizabeth tomorrow, Ginny felt quite uncomfortable. He resembled Will a lot and then to have him sleeping under the same roof as her made it feel that much more uneasy.

"I'm sorry I flipped out earlier-"

"Don't be.....I almost felt bad for that prick," she said. "Yeah, it's horrible what happened to him, but that is no excuse for what he has done to us," she choked out.

He gently grabbed her shoulders and looked at her for a moment before he pulled her to him and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Get some sleep, Ginny, it has been a long day," he said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

She watched him give her a small smile before he pulled away and started heading towards the door.

"Draco?"

He turned back to her, "Yeah?"

"Can you stay with me tonight?" she asked, her eyes piercing into his.

He was surprised by her request, he was expecting some distance from her after everything that happened today, but instead, here she was asking him to stay with her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I just want to feel safe tonight," she said in a small voice.

He smiled at her words, he felt so happy at this tiny moment, it was always these small moments with Ginny that made him the happiest. He suddenly scooped her up playfully in his arms and carried her over to the bed and then plopped her down harder than he meant to.

"Ouch! So romantic of you," she mumbled as she rubbed her hip.

"Well, if it was romance you wanted," he said as he slid into bed beside her and nuzzled into her neck and gave her an over exaggerated cuddling session making Ginny start to giggle.

He stopped finally and just watched her laugh for a moment. He put his arm around her and pulled her close to him. He never officially slept with Ginny like this unless it was after sex and he loved every second of it. The feel of her body against his made everything alright.

They both lay there in silence for a while, he could feel Ginny's light breath hit his chest as her other arm was draped over him. He could smell her hair and focused on the feeling of being able to hold her right now. He thought back to just a few days ago when she wouldn't let him near her and how heartbreaking it was for him to give her the space she needed.

"I got to hold Lily," Ginny softly said.

"What?" he asked, confused by her sudden statement.

She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him with a smile. "I had this amazing dream where I saw my father holding her. In the dream when she first saw me she wanted me to hold her.....she cried for me......for her mum," she explained as she got lost in the memory of the dream again.

He studied her face as she spoke about her daughter. "How was it? To hold her?"

She locked eyes with him and a bright smile stretched across her face. "It was amazing.....it was so fulfilling."

He smiled at her.

She lay back down against him again.

"Do you think you might want to have a baby again someday?" he asked.

She propped herself up again and looked at him and he quickly cleared his throat as he realized what he asked.

"Sorry, I don't know why I even asked that." he stammered for words as he grew uncomfortable with the conversation.

"Draco, it's ok," she said with a smile, making him relax a bit. "So, by asking me about kids is this like a general question or like us, as in you and I having kids together?"

"Whoa, first off I said A BABY, no kids as in plural," he said, making her slap him playfully. "I suppose we could entertain that idea of you and I having some sort of offspring," he said, making her laugh at his choice of words.

"Yes, I would definitely want my own family someday," she said.

He could tell her mind started to wander as she laid her head down again on his chest. "What do you think this offspring of ours will look like?"

"Well, my ginger hair will probably take over so definitely a redhead," she giggled.

"Great and it will probably have your stubbornness-"

"And your arrogance."

"And let's not forget all the sass that comes along with being Ginny Weasley," he added.

"Or that narcissistic nature of yours."

"And they'll be defiant as fuck and go against everything we tell them."

They both just looked at each other after hearing all the traits they possessed.

"Well, fuck, our kid is going to be a real asshole," Draco said, making him and Ginny fall into a fit of laughter.

They lay there in silence again for a few moments.

"Do you think this whole Elizabeth thing will work?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know, it could end up just pissing him off that much more, but we have to try something. We just need to have the upper hand for once and I think this just might be what gives it to us," he said, squeezing her a little tighter before they both settled down and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there is a LOT of info in this chapter, your thoughts? This was a little bit of a lighter chapter and it was loaded with lots of Drinnyness, LOL! PLEASE REVIEW!! =D


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter! I was able to get these last two ones out faster than normal because I knew I wanted things to go this route from the beginning so it was pre-planned...love when chapters flow so easily out of me, lol. Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing, as always it means so much to me to read your feedback!
> 
> If you haven't joined my Facebook group yet you're missing out. I post chapter previews and have open discussions on the story and other pieces I've written so be sure to join.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/
> 
> There is A LOT of stuff going on in here and some more answers to some questions...Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Ginny looked at Draco one last time before she smiled and quietly closed her bedroom door so she wouldn't wake him. Sleeping wasn't something she was mastering lately, but the few hours she did manage to squeeze in with Draco by her side were the best few hours of sleep she had in a while.

"Getting an early start as well?" a voice asked behind her, making her jump.

She turned to see Ethan standing there and he was a lot closer than she would have liked him to be.

"Uh, trouble sleeping," she said, sliding past him and walking down to the kitchen.

He followed her the whole time in silence; he didn't blame her or anyone else in the house for treating him just like his brothers.

Ginny filled the tea kettle up and turned to him. "Tea?"

"That would be lovely," he said, taking a seat at the table.

She joined him after a few moments as they waited for the water to boil.

"Would you like for me to leave? I can go back upstairs so you can properly enjoy your morning," he offered, getting ready to get up.

"No, its fine, just sit down," she said, a bit of annoyance in her voice.

"Ginny? Is it? I know this doesn't mean a thing to you, but I'm sorry for-"

"Don't," she warned, her glare piercing into him. "There isn't anything you can say or apologize for that will make this moment or anything else that your brothers have done more bearable."

He just looked at her and gave an understanding nod. "Fair enough."

"You look just like Will, it's quite uncomfortable. I'm not going to lie, it's kind of hard not to throw this boiling hot water in your face," she said bluntly as she got up and grabbed the whistling kettle.

"You can if you'd like, hopefully, you have a good healer for the aftermath," he said causing her to let out a small laugh.

She shook her head. "Tell me about Elizabeth, who was she sent away to live with? Why hasn't Will gone to see her? I mean I get why after what he almost did to her, but even after all this time?" she asked, handing him his cup of tea.

"She is living with Elaina's parents; she should be about nine or ten now. When Joe and William came to me about seeking vengeance he had told me he went to see her and she wouldn't even look at him. She was scared of him and only looked at him as a monster, he didn't blame her and knew there was no way he could ever be her father again."

Ginny frowned at his words; she hated feeling sympathetic towards Will. Perhaps she sympathized with the man Will use to be. She watched Ethan grabbed his wallet from his back pocket and pull out a few pictures.

"This was all of us during our last holiday together as a family," he said, sliding the picture over to her. "That's Elizabeth; she was probably four or five there."

It was hard for Ginny to look at this picture; Elizabeth was standing next to her younger brother and behind them stood Will and Elaina. Will was holding his youngest daughter as he and Elaina kissed each side of her cheek for the picture.

"That's enough," she said suddenly, pushing the pictures away. "You don't need to prove to me that your brothers were once good people...but people change and what your brothers have done...what Will has done, is unforgivable."

He nodded and watched her get up and leave the kitchen.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny kept shaking her head as she went over what they were about to do. Originally Ethan was going to escort them to find Elizabeth, but Ginny needed a break from him. They decided to check out the home themselves instead, it was also unclear how Elizabeth would react to seeing Ethan after so many years.

"This is wrong, we shouldn't be doing this," She said, shaking her head as they walked down the quiet street lined with houses and perfectly manicured lawns.

"I know, Gin, but we need to try something otherwise this thing with Will won't ever end," Harry explained walking beside her.

"We are taking a little girl out of her home after she's been traumatized enough...what kind of people are we?"

"Ginny, listen, we are desperate at this point, nothing bad will happen to her and then when this is all over we will return her safe and sound," Draco said from the other side.

She let out a long sigh and just made her way over to the house.

"So how exactly are we going to make this girl come with us?" Draco asked, we can't just knock on the door and ask to speak to a little girl, that's creepy."

"I have a plan," Ginny said, making her way to the front door and ringing the doorbell.

Nobody answered. She turned to look at Harry and Draco and then turned back and knocked hard on the door. She waited a few more moments when finally someone opened the door.

"Hello? Who are you? What do you want?" came an older lady's voice from the cracked doorway.

"Oh, hi Mrs..." she paused when she realized she didn't know Elaina's last name. "Hi...uh, Miss, is Elizabeth home?"

"That's your plan?" Draco asked angrily through clenched teeth.

She just glared at him.

"Elizabeth was sent away." the woman said, her voice frail and her body brittle.

Ginny stepped back when a man opened the door all the way and looked at her. "You're looking for Lizzie? We are her grandparents, she was sent to the orphanage three years ago." he snapped angrily.

Ginny was taken aback by the news. "An orphanage? Why?"

"We weren't able to care for her any longer, we are very ill...it became too much," the man said, his temper calming and his voice filling with emotion. "Anyway, she's at St. Theresa's Orphanage across town," he said before he slammed the door in her face.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny walked into the rundown building and gave a shudder at how dark and cold the place looked. "No child should have to live in a place like this," she said to herself.

"Can I help you?" came a woman's voice from a side room walking up to them.

"Yeah, we're looking for a young girl by the name of Elizabeth Chamberlain?" Harry asked.

The woman scoffed, "Elizabeth? You want to see Elizabeth? I'm surprised to see anyone here for her honestly...right this way." she said, leading them outside to the play yard where most of the kids were.

"I didn't think there were any orphanage's left in this area," Ginny said.

"St. Theresa's is the only one left, although not for long. The place is being shut down at any time now, I've just about had enough of looking after a bunch of unappreciative, insubordinate and ridiculously troubled youth," she said, looking at the few children with a slight sneer on her face. "I'll be glad to be rid of this place and these children, hopefully, you'll be taking Elizabeth with you," she said, gesturing over to the far end of the yard where a young girl sat on a swing. "She doesn't talk and she keeps to herself, she does tend to get into a lot of fights with the other kids."

Ginny just looked at the bitter old woman with a bit of anger at the way she spoke of the children she was supposed to be providing a loving, warming home for. She looked across again where Elizabeth sat and approached her; Harry and Draco were close behind.

"Elizabeth?" Ginny softly called out as she walked in front of the girl.

The girl kept her head down as she continued to draw in the book she had in her lap.

"Elizabeth? I'm Ginny and this is Harry and Draco, we-"

"What do you want?" she asked suddenly.

They were all surprised by her sudden words after they were just told she doesn't speak. Ginny's eyes went straight to the scar along the side of her face and one across her neck. Her tone was firm and her eyes were fierce as she looked at Ginny. Her hazel eyes traveled over Ginny's shoulder to Harry and Draco and then she looked back down at her book letting her wavy blonde hair fall around her face again.

"So you do talk?" Draco said.

"Yeah, I talk, pay no mind to that old bag, I just don't talk to her so she believes I'm a mute...it's rather a good laugh sometimes," she said with a smirk. "So why are you here? I doubt you've come to adopt a ten-year-old girl."

Ginny was rather taken aback by Elizabeth's demeanor. She seemed very mature for her age, like she was forced to grow up a lot faster than most kids her age.

"Eliza-"

"Lizzie...call me Lizzie," she said, giving Ginny this piercing stare.

She nodded. "Lizzie, we need you to come with us."

Lizzie gave this amused smile and then scoffed at her comment. "Sure, why not, don't really have much going on here," she said, getting up from the swing and throwing her book on the ground.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She watched her rummage through the fridge, helping herself to a few things here and there and then drinking some milk from the container. She wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand and went back to rummaging.

"I'm not going to lie...I expected her to be a lot different." Harry said to Ginny as he too watched Lizzie from the table raid the refrigerator.

"I find her quite interesting actually," Ginny said with a smile.

"When are we going to tell her why we really brought her here?" Draco chimed in.

"You know I can hear you guys, I'm right here...so why did you bring me here?" she asked, taking a seat at the table with them.

"Um, well..." Ginny paused, she had no idea how she would react to hearing anything about her father.

"Lizzie?" came Ethan's voice from the doorway.

Lizzie snapped her over to him and her eyes went wide, "Uncle Ethan?" she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

Ethan was surprised that she was so happy to see him and when he took in her acceptance of him he finally hugged her back. Ginny didn't know why, but it made her happy to see Lizzie happy, she knew she had a rough past.

Lizzie pulled away suddenly and gave him a light punch in the arm. "Why didn't you come for me?" she asked, her face turning angry. "Why didn't any of my family come for me?" her voice was rising and her eyes filled with tears.

"I tried to find you, your grandparents were not easy to locate, I didn't even know that's where you were at the time and your father didn't want me looking for you-"

"My father?" she asked, turning to look at the three of them again. "You can take me to him...my dad?"

"NO!" Ginny shouted. "Um, not now anyway," she said, calming her voice.

Lizzie just looked at her and then glared back at her uncle before she ran from the room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harry walked outside to the front steps where he saw Ginny sitting and took a seat beside her. She was so lost in her thoughts, he knew she didn't even notice his presence.

"You're struggling with something," he said, making her snap her head over to him.

She just shook her head and looked back at the night sky. "This is all just a lot to take in, I hate Will so much and I want him to pay for everything he's done to us...to me."

"I know, Gin,"

"So why do I feel bad for him? For Lizzie...his past was...far worse than anything I could imagine," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"You have a big heart Ginny... like I've said before, you will always want to help others, regardless of the wrong they've done to you," he said, putting an arm around her and pulling her to him.

"Do you think Will might back down once he knows we have his daughter?"

"I'm not sure, the thing is, he knows we won't hurt her...although, he's done unforgivable things and he doesn't know how far he's pushed us all to the breaking point. So maybe he doesn't know that we won't hurt her after all." he shrugged, unsure of what to think. "The thing is Gin, say he does back down...then what? We just let him go? That can't happen, we just let him live life like nothing happened?"

"No, I don't mean that I just...I don't know, Harry...I-"

"Ginny, this man killed our baby...Lily, your father...the things he's done to you," he said, as he grew angry with her for feeling bad for a man like Will.

"Yeah, I haven't forgotten," she snapped before she got up and walked inside.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny gave a soft knock on the bathroom door. "How are you doing in there?" she called out to Lizzie.

There was no answer.

"Lizzie?"

After there was no response again, she opened the door and saw her sitting there in the bathtub hugging her knees to her chest and was lost in her thoughts.

"Hey, didn't you hear me calling you?" she asked, closing the door behind her.

Lizzie turned to look at her and rested her chin on her knees. Ginny could tell she was emotional by the puffiness around her eyes.

"Are you ok?"

"Can you help me wash my hair?" she asked in a small voice.

Ginny just gave her a small smile, "Of course, here...turn around," she said as she grabbed the cup on the side of the tub.

After Lizzie was finished with her bath Ginny brought some clothes to her room to transfigure some into her size.

"Hmm, here, try this," Ginny said, helping her grab the oversized shirt she had on off over her head.

She put the other makeshift top over her and pulled it down, she couldn't help her eyes from wandering down to another scar she had on the side of her abdomen. She felt Lizzie pull the shirt down roughly as she glared at her.

"If you want to know about what happened just ask...I know you do," she said before she climbed into bed.

Ginny gave her a sad look before she grabbed the brush off her nightstand and sat on the bed and started brushing her hair. "Do you remember what happened to you?" she asked.

"You mean, do I remember that my father killed my brother, sister, and mother right before I almost met the same fate?" she asked sarcastically. "Yeah, it's not a memory I'll soon forget."

"Then why do you want to see him?"

Lizzie quickly turned around to face her. "Because I still believe my father would never hurt me...intentionally anyway."

"Aren't you scared to-"

"Of what? To see him? That he might finish what he started? After it happened I was scared...I didn't understand why he would want to hurt me or mum...or..." She trailed off. "But, now I know what really happened that night, I know he was forced to do those things, I've overheard the story many times...sometimes in great detail," Lizzie said; she had some anger in her voice as she thought back to that day.

Ginny couldn't help but feel for her, she saw this tough exterior she put up but she was struggling inside. She seemed to have forgiveness for him, but there was still some hesitation.

"Why don't you tell me a favorite memory you have of your dad?" Ginny suggested to try and shift her mind from the negative thoughts invading it.

Lizzie thought for a second before a smile spread across her face. "There are so many...I can't decide. Sometimes when I had trouble sleeping and would attempt to crawl into bed with my parents, my younger brother and sister would already be in there. I was always too late and there would never be any more room, but every time my father just knew I was there and he would wake up and see me standing there. He would get up and come sleep in my bed instead until I fell back asleep...he hardly fit in it," she said with a small laugh. "But I just always kept thinking how lucky I felt to get him all to myself for just a little while...I felt like it was just our thing. It got to a point some nights I would just pretend to have trouble sleeping just so we could have our late night talks...and I think he knew what I was really up to," she finished with a smile as she got lost in the memory.

Ginny didn't realize she had shed a tear or two at Lizzie's words. She quickly wiped them away and looked at the blonde in front of her.

"Ginny, please tell me why I am here? You guys don't like my father? He's done something bad?"

Ginny just looked at her, she wasn't sure what to say, she didn't want to ruin Lizzie's memory of her father.

"You don't have to say anything, your face says it all," Lizzie said, her hard expression back in place.

"Your dad...he wants vengeance for what happened...he has gone to unthinkable lengths for it...all of your uncle's have."

Lizzie gave a slow nod that she understood.

Ginny lifted her shirt a bit to show Lizzie one of her scars.

"My father did that to you?" she asked.

Ginny nodded. "He has killed people I love...my daughter...my father."

Lizzie's eyes filled with tears, "Do you think he's still in there? The man that use to be my father?" she asked, tears spilling down her face.

Ginny couldn't help herself, she grabbed the young girl and hugged her tightly, "I don't know, Lizzie...I don't know."  
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny gave a quick knock on Draco's door before she opened it and just stood there and looked at him for a moment.

"Oh good, I was just coming to find you. So I was talking to-"

He was cut off when Ginny's lips were on his, she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Naturally, he kissed her back, his hands always finding their way into her flaming strands.

She pulled back and just looked at him with a smile.

"What was that for?" he asked, surprised by her sudden affection.

She shrugged, "I just love you," she said.

He smiled at her words, "I love you too."

"Plus, I really need something to make feel happy right now after the conversation I just had with Lizzie," she sighed, lounging across Draco's bed.

"That bad?"

"Draco, she really is such a great kid, I mean, sure she's a bit blunt and sarcastic and knows way too much about things she shouldn't-"

"You're getting too attached," he cut her off.

"What? She just got here, how could I possibly-"

"Ginny, I know we aren't going to hurt her, but if you get too attached to her it could ruin any chance of our plan working."

"What is our plan exactly?" she snapped.

"Listen, I'm just saying, this is about us...about you. Elizabeth is just bait right now...that's it. That's why she's here." he said, sitting down next to her. "I'm not trying to be insensitive, believe me, I'm not, but I'm thinking about what's going to keep us all safe...especially you," he said softly.

Ginny laid back on the bed and rubbed her face in frustration. "Why do I feel like we are just as bad as Will for doing this? I don't want her to get hurt...she's been through too much."

"Ginny?"

She looked up at him.

"Do you think the Order or you or I would really let anything happen to that girl? You know she's safe...no matter what the plan is, yeah, we are using her a bit, but the bloody kid is aware of that and she seems pretty fine about it. So I wouldn't feel too guilty, just stay focused on what we need to do and not on her past."

She nodded, she knew he was right, but at the same time no matter how much Lizzie agreed to go along with their plan, it didn't make it right.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny was helping her mum make sandwiches for lunch the next day and her mind had been a mixed mess since last night. She was cutting the sandwich in half and sliced her finger and gave out a slight hiss of pain.

"You ok?" Draco asked from the table.

She nodded before rinsing her finger off under the water.

"What's on your mind Ginevra?" her mother asked as she took over cutting the rest of the sandwiches.

"What do you think?" she scoffed.

Lizzie walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the table between Draco and Harry.

"Oh, good, perfect timing, lunch is ready," Molly said, placing a plate down in front of Draco first.

Just as Draco went to reach for his sandwich Lizzie slid the plate over to her and grabbed one and took a bite.

"Thanks," she said, giving him a playful smirk.

His lip curled into a sneer and he started muttering under his breath. Harry tried to suppress his laugh but lost in the end.

"Rude," Draco snapped at her.

"She said lunch was ready, not YOUR lunch." Lizzie shrugged.

"Yes, but the plate was clearly put down in front of me, therefore, it's my sandwich," he shot back.

"Listen, do you want it back that badly? Are you going to cry over it all damn day? Here," she slid the sandwich back over to him that had two bites taken out of it and then slid the new plate that Molly had just put down for him over to her. "There...enjoy," she said, before picking up the newly sliced sandwich and taking a big bite.

Draco's hands were balled into fists at this point and opened his mouth to say something, but he saw everyone else trying hard not to laugh.

"I've lost my appetite," he said, sliding the plate away from him.

"Oh, good, more for me," Lizzie said, pulling the other plate over to her.

Draco jumped out of his seat and stormed out of the room like a child.

Lizzie started laughing, "That's a grown man right there," she said, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Now, now, that's not nice, Lizzie," Molly said, trying to hide her own snickers and be serious.

"Alright...I'M SORRY DRACO, COME BACK!" Lizzie yelled out.

After a few moments, he entered the kitchen once more and sat at the counter where Ginny placed another sandwich down for him.

"Go ahead, I see the corners of your mouth quivering with laughter, so just laugh," he said to Ginny.

She couldn't hold it back any longer and fell into a fit of laughter.

"Ginny?" Lizzie called.

"Yeah? What's up?" she asked, taking a seat across from her at the table.

"Um, you know where my father is right?"

"He spends a lot of time at the Ministry so he will be there," she said.

"I want to see him, can you take me there? You want my help, right? But I want to see him, please?" she asked.

Ginny felt Lizzie's eyes piercing into hers, silently begging her to see her father again. She turned to look at Harry, who was surprised by the question.

"Um...yeah...yeah, I'll take you to see him," she answered softly.

"That's not happening," Draco said angrily.

"No way, Ginny, it's too dangerous, I don't want you near him, he's a-" Harry stopped himself when he realized Lizzie was present.

"Draco will come with me and just use your invisibility cloak and come with us incase things go south. We have the upper hand right now," she said.

"I can come too," said Ethan as he entered the room. "But I can assure you...William WON'T do anything to any of you if he knows you have his daughter."

Ginny turned back to Harry and Draco.

Harry shook his head in annoyance but finally agreed. "Well, then I guess let's get this plan finalized."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Narcissa, what I need is for you to find a permanent disabling charm for that ward. Now I know you have a temporary one, but I also know you're behind that more efficient one surrounding the Zabini house. So sift through that brilliant mind of yours and find a solution for me by the end of the day." Will demanded.

Narcissa gave a firm nod, "Of course."

There was a knock on his office door.

"Yes, who is it?" he called out in annoyance.

"Sorry to bother you, Sir, but that Weasley girl is here and wants to have a word." said an Auror.

"What?" he asked.

"Miss Weasley, can I bring her in?" he asked again.

Will looked over to his brother Joe, who was sitting in one of the chairs with a just as surprised look on his face. Narcissa felt a lump form in her throat but quickly swallowed it to avoid any suspicion.

"Yeah, this should be interesting," he said, a slight smirk forming on his face.

The Auror held the door open for Ginny and she walked into the office, her eyes went straight to Narcissa, who locked eyes with her for a quick moment before she looked away.

"Miss Weasley, I'm...rather surprised to see you here," he said.

"Oh, you mean, since you raped me the last time I saw you." she spat.

Narcissa tried so hard to be indifferent by this bit of information, but the anger running through her was about to erupt. The only thing that kept her from lashing out at Will was Ginny's calm demeanor.

"THAT...was a mistake," he said quietly, looking away from her.

Ginny was so surprised by this response, even Joe looked at his brother in confusion.

"But what's done is done, so why are you here? It was foolish of you to come here alone," he said, locking eyes with her again.

"I'm not alone," she said. "But I want you to end this, I'm asking...I want you to leave us alone."

He started laughing, "Why would I do that? You are confined to the inside of the wards...there's nowhere to go. I'm in control, so why would I possibly finally give up my plan for vengeance when it is so close?"

"I get that, but allow me to even out the playing field," she said. "ETHAN!" she called to the doorway.

Ginny watched Will's face as Ethan walked in, she could tell it was the last person he expected to see.

"William...what have you done?" he asked.

Will just looked away from him, anger covering his face. "What had to be done," he said through clenched teeth. "You think having Ethan on your side levels things out? You're mistaken," he said, looking at Ginny with an angry snarl.

"No, but having her does," she said, motioning to Draco in the hall.

Draco walked in with Lizzie, who naturally stood beside Ginny.

The reaction from Will was instant, his eyes welled with tears and his breathing became rapid, he could barely speak. "L...Lizzie?" he choked out.

"Dad?" she went to take a step towards him, but Ginny grabbed her roughly back by the hair and pulled a knife out and brought it up to her neck.

"I suppose it's my turn for vengeance," she said.

"NO! STOP!" Will quickly yelled.

Draco was unsure about Ginny's actions, he didn't expect her to go that far with threatening Lizzie's life. For a moment he wondered if Ginny was serious.

"Why? Why should I stop? You killed my daughter?" she said, pressing the blade harder into Lizzie's neck making her whimper in pain.

Will wanted to jump forward and grab her, but Ginny warned him to not move when the blade pressed deeper against her neck.

Joe pulled out his wand.

"NO!" Will yelled, stopping him. "Ginny, please don't, please...what do you want?"

"Well, what I really want, is my daughter back...my father, but that can't happen so instead I want you dead-"

"Fine," he quickly said.

"What?" she asked, surprised by his answer.

"I don't care what happens to me, but please don't hurt her."

"WILL, DON'T BE STUPID!" Joe yelled at him. "They won't kill her, they are bluffing," he said.

Ginny felt herself become enraged by Joe's comment, he acted so smug.

"Am I?" she said, pressing the knife harder into her neck, she could feel it start to pierce her skin.

"GINNY!" Draco called out to her suddenly.

He wasn't sure anymore what Ginny's intentions were at this point and was worried she might actually hurt her.

"Will, you're a dead man if you give up now. I don't care what happens to any of you. I will kill you all including any brother who stands in my way of getting vengeance." Joe snarled.

"YOU WOULD WATCH HER DIE OVER GETTING VENGEANCE!" Will yelled at him.

"Gladly," Joe said through clenched teeth.

Joe whipped his wand so fast none of them had time to react. Ginny just saw a green spell flying at her and it suddenly hit some sort of barrier in front of her. She saw it was Will, who blocked the spell from hitting any of them.

"You're a fool," Joe said to Will.

Harry ripped his cloak off and shot a spell at Joe that sent him flying across the room. "We got to go," he said as Aurors already started making their way down the hall. "And you're coming with us," Harry said to Will, his face covered with hatred for the man.

Will looked at Ginny, she still had a firm hold on the blade. He looked at his daughter's face and he couldn't bear to see her in pain. He turned his wand over to Harry before he bound his hands and was being apparated back to the Zabini house.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny's feet hit the floor and the first thing she did was grab Lizzie and look at her.

"Are you ok? I'm so sorry, let me see," she said, looking at her neck.

She knew Lizzie was aware of the plan beforehand, but Ginny was more aggressive than even she thought she'd be.

She quickly nodded. "I thought you were actually going to do it for a moment there," Lizzie said.

Ginny just stared at her. "Yeah, me too," she said before she pulled her into a hug before looking her over one last time.

Her head snapped over across the lawn where she heard yelling and saw Harry and Draco's attention on Will and quickly ran over.

"YOU FUCKIN PIECE OF SHIT!" Harry screamed at him as he threw punch after punch.

He pulled out his wand and was ready to finally end him when Ginny's voice stopped him.

"HARRY! STOP!" she ran in front of him. "Not now," she said.

He looked at her and then to Draco, who had his wand firmly gripped as well.

"Get out of the way Ginny," he said, trying to walk past her.

"Harry, you can't just kill him right in front of-"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, GINNY!" he bellowed at her, grabbing her arm and yanking her aside.

Will didn't say anything, he just watched the scene unfold before him. He wiped the blood from his mouth on the back of his bound hands as he watched Harry contemplate Ginny's words.

"Potter, as much as I want him dead, I think he might be more useful alive right now. Joe is still at it and who knows what they already had planned before today." Draco said.

"Joseph will come...we have the temporary disablement charm for the ward...so he will come," Will said, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Good, I want him to come because I'm going to kill him," Draco said with a snarl.

Harry still had his wand firmly pointed at Will, his adrenaline was pumping, but the look Ginny gave him made him lower it. He looked across the way at Lizzie standing by the front door with Molly and Hermione and then back at Will. He walked over to him and squatted down beside him.

"I guess you get to live for one more day, but the next time I have my wand pointed at you... I won't lower it until you're dead."

He grabbed his bound hands and dragged him towards the house, the glares Will got from everyone were ones of pure hatred for the man. Some people looked concerned that Will was under the same roof as them. Harry felt him stop walking when he saw his daughter, she backed up behind Mrs. Weasley as Harry yanked him forward to keep walking.

Draco walked over to Ginny and grabbed her into a hug. "I can't believe he surrendered like that...everything he spent all this time doing and just like that..." he trailed off.

"Your mother? She stayed with Joe?"

"Maybe that was the best decision right now, having eyes on the inside seemed to help us out a great deal just now," he said.

She nodded before her eyes fell on Lizzie across the way. "I almost lost myself back there," she whispered.

He hugged her closer to him.

"When I asked myself how someone could resort to the things Will has done...then I think to that moment back at the Ministry just now...or when I killed those men...it just makes a little more sense suddenly," she said before she pulled away and walked inside.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny made her way down the hall to his room; her heart racing and her stomach in knots. She passed Lucius' bedroom where he quickly made his way out to the hall where he saw her standing outside of the door across from his.

"Ginny? What are you doing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at why she was getting ready to walk into the room they had Will locked up in.

She shook her head as uncertainty filled her. "I don't know, I just... I want answers," she said softly.

He didn't say anything, he knew she was entitled to them.

"Lucius...when you followed Voldemort...do you think you would have ever done something like those other Death Eaters did to Will and his family?" she asked suddenly.

He let out a long sigh before he leaned against the hallway wall. "To be honest, I'd like to think not, I never thought of myself as such a man. The thing is... when your family becomes threatened...it changes everything. I've done some unforgivable things myself, but I was fortunate enough to still have my wife and son in the end."

She nodded at his explanation, she understood exactly what he meant. She turned to Will's door and waved her wand to unlock it. "You'll be out here, right?"

"Of course," he said as he watched her slip inside the room and close the door.

She saw him sitting on the floor in the corner as he glanced over to her and then looked away again, "That's twice today I've been surprised to see you," he said.

She walked over to him, "How could you do the things you've done, knowing what it feels like to have them done to you?"

"I don't know...I honestly don't know." he whispered.

He looked at her, her eyes were filled with tears of anger.

"How did you find out about Ethan and Lizzie?" he asked her.

"Narcissa, she's been playing you."

He just smirked and nodded. "Smart woman."

"She wants to know why you never came for her," Ginny said, her tone was softer than she thought it would be.

He shook his head before he rubbed his face roughly. "Are you kidding? She couldn't even look at me... I didn't want her to be scared. I left her with Elaina's parents-"

"Yeah, and they sent her to an orphanage for the past three years, that's where's she's been when really all she wanted was her father."

She watched him for a moment, he was falling apart right before her eyes. William Chamberlain, the man responsible for so much of her pain...the man responsible for so much wrong. She knelt down in front of him and looked into his eyes, there was something different in them, her own tears spilled down her face. He started shaking his head in disbelief; his emotions surfacing at this point.

"I fucked up, Ginny. I fucked up so bad," he choked out as he quickly wiped his tears away and stood up.

"Yeah, you did," she said, her tone grew angry as she rose to his level.

"There's nothing to say now...nothing to do...I'm done. I never meant for things to go this far... I don't even know how they did. Things just kept happening...I was blinded by hatred, consumed with anger and thirsty for vengeance. Every time I second-guessed the wrong I was doing I remembered being released from that curse and being covered in my family's blood. Their bodies lying around me...Lizzie screaming beneath me."

He locked eyes with her at this point, she was crying.

"So THAT...is how I'm able to do something so terrible to someone else...because I wanted them to feel what I felt. I wanted them to lose everything just like I did, but you... I didn't want to hurt you...you were the biggest mistake of this entire thing," he said, giving her a sad look. "And there's nothing I can do to change that now."

She slapped him hard across the face suddenly, he barely flinched. "I hate you...I hate you so much." she cried, as she slapped him again. "I want you to pay for what you did, but you already are...and it kills me that I somehow have sympathy for you because I want you dead." she sobbed, shoving him hard against the wall. "When I think about everything you took from me...did to me," she was getting almost hysterical at this point.

She reached into her back pocket and grabbed a knife and held it to his throat. She pressed it hard against him making him give out a hiss of pain, but he didn't fight her. Her eyes pierced into his, she wanted to slit his throat right here, but she let out this frustrated growl when she realized she couldn't do it. She just started sobbing instead as her hand against his throat fell limp making the knife fall to the floor.

He gently grabbed her wrists where her hands had him pinned against the wall and pushed them towards her when she ripped them the rest of the way from his grasp. He bent down and picked the blade up and looked at it for a moment before he turned it around for her to take back.

"I hate you," she spat at him.

"I know," he said, as he locked eyes with her once more before she quickly took the knife back and exited the room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Ginny? When can I see my dad?"

"After the Order meeting I think we can make that happen, ok?" she said with a smile.

Lizzie nodded.

Ginny went to leave and she turned back to her. "Lizzie, about yesterday at the Ministry...I would never have-"

"I get it...and I know."

Lizzie gave her a quick hug before Ginny left her bedroom and made her way to the dining room for the meeting.

She walked into the room and saw Will sitting at one end of the table with Lucius beside him to keep an eye on him. She took a seat beside Draco and turned to look at Harry, his expression was unreadable.

"Are you ok?" Draco whispered to her.

She looked down the table at Will and then to Draco. "Not really."

He took her hand in his and gave it a small squeeze before they turned their attention to Harry.

"Alright Will, let's make this easy. Where is your hideout?" he asked. "I would cooperate because every person in this room would love to see you dead," he added.

Will let out a defeated sigh. "Well, you were watching one of them...Pines' brother's place. The other was the Crown Estate on Richmond. I take it you know of the place?" he said, looking at Harry.

"I do," he said with a sneer.

"I can also clear your name about Kingsley's murder," he offered.

The whole table looked at him. "So you would come clean about it?" Harry asked, unconvinced of his offer.

"Well, I am the one who did it...so yeah," he said.

Harry just looked at him, "Good."

"The only issue might be with my brother Joseph, but I can at least try."

"Oh, wow, a good deed? Well, then I guess you're forgiven for everything," Harry drawled, his patience wearing thin.

"I didn't expect such a thing," Will said.

"Why don't we just kill this guy?" Charlie asked, slamming his hands on the table. "Why are we even keeping him alive?"

"Because Charlie, he can be useful to us...for now," Hermione said, glaring at Will. "We can use him to help defeat Joe."

"You want us to work with this son of a bitch?" Ron asked, his anger rising.

The entire room erupted into chaos, people were arguing and screaming about the pros and cons of keeping Will alive.

"STOP IT!" Ginny got up and yelled.

Everyone looked at her.

"If keeping Will alive will be beneficial to us in any way..." she shook her head as she couldn't believe what she was about to say. "...then we should use him to our advantage. I know how crazy that sounds and how hard it will be, but if I...me of all people...if I can accept that...then you all can too," she said, her tone angry and full of emotion before she sat back down.

Harry's eyes fell on her for a moment, he could tell how hard it was for her to have him in the house. He also knew that Will was key to finishing off Joe and putting this whole thing behind them.

"Well, that settles it then...Will...I guess you're on our side now."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He rummaged through the piles of papers again, his anger was rising with each passing second. He threw the entire pile off the desk and ripped open each drawer.

"Is there something I can help you find, Joseph?" Narcissa asked, watching the man grow more and more impatient.

"FUCK!" he screamed, throwing a glass object across the room against the wall. "THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN!"

He slammed his hands on the desk and plopped back down into the chair.

Narcissa watched him for a moment, this was the angriest she had seen him since she'd been spying on them.

"Fuckin, William, and his damn kid...I should've made him kill her that night," he said, rubbing his face in frustration. "Let that be a lesson...never have any loose ends," he said more to himself than to her.

"I'm sorry...MADE him kill her?" she asked, her eyebrow raised at his choice of words.

He started laughing, he was rather amused by what he was about to tell her. "Oh, Narcissa, if there is one curse I am the most gifted at it is the Imperius Curse."

"Are you saying-"

"That it was me who forced William to kill his family? Yes, indeed," he said as he continued looking through some papers. "You see, I needed him to side with me on getting vengeance for my parents and my dear sister Jessica, but Will...he's even more of a pushover than Ethan, but he was smart and well skilled in areas I wasn't. He wanted to be an Auror and was a big supporter of that douchebag Potter so when he started working at the Ministry he was easy to control."

"Are you saying that you've had Will under the Imperius Curse this whole time?" she asked, her heart was racing.

"Hell yes, all my brothers were...except for Ethan, he was always able to resist it somehow. But Will was such a broken man after his family was killed that he was the easiest to control. I needed him to act as the leader to take the attention off of me so I could continue playing puppeteer." he said with this satisfied grin on his face. "I'm pretty impressed with myself honestly, but ever since they brought him through that ward around the Zabini's it lifted the Imperius curse off of him. So now I need you to try and find me a way to get into his mind again through that damn ward."

"I thought Will was responsible for the murder of Ginny and Harry's child?" she asked.

"No, no, no you daft twit, haven't you been listening? William wouldn't hurt a fly, I had to curse that bloody git and force him to get the job done. Everything was fine until Ginny started working at the Ministry and Will started developing a soft spot for her. I had to get more aggressive with my Imperius curse and manipulated his mind further."

She felt frozen in one spot right now, she tried to not seem shocked by the disturbing news.

"Narcissa? Is there a problem?" he asked, looking at her with this deadly glare.

She just gave a forced smile. "Not at all, Joseph, I'll work on that right away."

"Good and here," he said, grabbing a vial and putting his wand to his head.

He pulled out a few memories and placed them inside before handing it to her. "I don't have time to be filling you in on all this shit, so just look through those if you want to be in any way helpful to me. I want a way through that fuckin ward by tomorrow." he hissed before he waved his hand to get out of his office.

She pocketed the vial and quickly left the room. Her heart was racing, when Will surrendered, she thought they finally had a chance at ending this whole thing. The fact that Joe was behind everything and had been using Will this whole time changed everything. She ran to grab some quill and ink to send a letter to the Order and whatever memories Joe had given her. She hoped they would be somewhat helpful to them and find a way to finally end this nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so there is a LOT of shit that went on in this chapter...I know its quite a twist there, but I knew I wanted Joe to be a bigger part in this whole thing. PLEASE, I NEED TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS WHOLE DEVELOPMENT! REVIEW! *whispers in your ear* "review"


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter took a little longer to post. There is a lot of info in this chapter so pay attention, lol.
> 
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> https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/
> 
> Thank you to all my reviewers! I really appreciate them! Are there any silent readers who haven't commented yet on the story who would be willing to let me know what you think so far?
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> Hope you all enjoy!

Ginny felt her hand in hers as they walked down the hall together; she could tell she was nervous from the clammy feeling against her skin. Lucius unlocked the door for them and Ginny gave him a quick thanks before she opened it and walked inside with Lizzie.

"I'm right outside if you need me," Lucius said before he closed the door behind them.

Ginny stood there with Lizzie in front of her; she saw Will's eyes locked with his daughters. He wasn't sure what to do or what to say to her, Ginny could see his struggle.

"Dad?"

Her small voice reached his ears and he turned away from her for a moment as he desperately tried to control his emotions.

"Hey," was the only thing he was able to manage to get out.

She slowly walked over to him where he kneeled down to her level. He just looked at her small face; his heart broke to pieces to see the scars on her from his horrid actions.

"I-I'm sorry, Lizzie...I'm so sorry," he choked out as he hung his head in shame and broke down.

She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, her own tears falling down her face. He scooped her up in his arms and buried his face in her hair and sobbed.

Ginny watched the way they latched onto each other, it was as if they were unaware of just how much they needed each other after all this time. Ginny's heart went out to Lizzie and she couldn't help but feel for Will, she didn't want to, but what happened to him and his family wasn't fair. The choices he made and the man he became because of that almost seemed unfair.

"Dad, please don't leave me again," she pleaded with him.

He couldn't even look at her; he just hung his head and cried.

"Dad, you don't have to cry anymore...we're together now." she said, cupping his face with her small hands.

He just shook his head. "No, Lizzie...it's not that simple," he said, trying to compose himself enough to comfort his daughter.

She just looked at him with teary eyes, a frown forming on her face. "Is it because of the things you've done?" she asked.

He looked into her eyes and let out this emotional sigh, "Yeah, baby...I'm afraid so."

"Please, Dad...I don't think I can do this alone...not anymore." she cried.

He grabbed her hands from his face and held them tightly and looked into her hazel eyes. "Hey, don't say that... You are so strong, so brave...do you remember our saying? Do you remember what I always use to tell you? You never know how strong you are..."

"Until being strong is the only choice you have," she choked out.

"That's right," he said with a smile before he grabbed her into another tight hug when she started crying again.

Those words hit Ginny hard and she quickly walked back out into the hall so abruptly that Lucius pulled his wand out thinking something was wrong. He looked at her tear-stained face and lowered his wand. She just looked at him and shook her head. She couldn't handle the amount of sadness and sorrow in that room any longer; the whole situation was fucked up. She covered her mouth with her hand to suppress her sobs.

Lucius just watched her; he had watched her go through a lot lately, especially being outside of the wards those few days together. He gently placed a hand on one of her shoulders as his way of comforting her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"When we were out there together...for saving me, keeping me the tiniest bit sane enough to still find my way back," she cried.

He just gave her a sad look. "But I didn't save you...not from what I should have. I should never have left you alone," he said more to himself than to her.

She looked at him, she didn't even think about the fact that Lucius would blame himself for her violation.

"I was only gone for-"

"It wouldn't have mattered...there was nothing you would have been able to do...believe me," she said firmly, locking eyes with him.

He just gave a slight nod as she continued to cry; she suddenly walked away to try and get some control over her emotions.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He jolted up out of his sleep, his heart racing and his head pounding. He ripped the covers off of himself and ran to the bathroom and over to the toilet and threw up.

"Fuck," he breathed out, through his rapid breathing.

He was finding it hard to catch his breath; he tasted blood in his mouth and saw it running from his nose when he glanced in the mirror. He could feel the cut in his mouth from where he must have bitten down on his tongue and cheek during the nightmare.

"Draco?"

He heard Ginny's voice through the door; he forgot for a moment they had been sleeping together the past few nights.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

He went to speak, but had trouble finding his voice."Y-Yeah, I'm good," he said.

Unconvinced by the sound of his voice she opened the door to check on him.

"I'm fine, go back to sleep," he said, spitting out a mouthful of blood and quickly rinsing it out.

She grabbed a rag from the towel bar and wet it before she pushed him to sit on the edge of the tub and started cleaning the blood from his face.

"You don't look fine, was it a nightmare?" she asked, her face covered in concern.

He didn't say anything; his eyes were stinging with emotion. Ginny could feel how hard and fast his heart was beating and she gently grabbed his clammy pale face in her hands.

"Hey, look at me...are you really ok?" she asked him.

He looked into her eyes and he slowly shook his head no. She placed a kiss on his forehead before she pulled him to her hoping his nerves would soon calm down.

"I'm sorry...I haven't had one in a long time...I don't know why all of sudden I'm having nightmares of her again," he said, more to himself.

Ginny just listened to his words. "She was the woman you loved, Draco...of course you're going to still have nightmares of her death...your mind has just been distracted for a while."

They were both quiet for a few moments.

She felt him pull back and turn his head away. "Is it ok for me to tell you that I miss her?"

Ginny just smiled at his question before she turned his face back to look at her. "Draco, you can tell me anything about Astoria...I would never be upset about something like that. All because you and I are together now doesn't mean you have to stop missing her...or loving her."

He looked into those beautiful honey brown eyes, she was so perfect, everything about her made him crazy, but in a good way. The way she smiled or laughed, the way she would throw her hair up into some ridiculous messy bun or even just the way she would brush it. Everything she did made him fall deeper and deeper in love with her. The way she looked at him made his heart smile.

Ginny felt a bit guilty for not realizing Draco was suffering in this way...she got the vibe from him that this had been happening the past few nights. Her focus was on other things for a while now and she felt horrible for not being there for Draco like he has been for her. She could see it in his face that there was more going on in his mind than he let on and he was doing a great job of hiding it.

"Let's get back to bed," he said. "I guess I'll brush my teeth first," he smirked.

She just gave him a sad smile before she nodded and walked back into the bedroom. She climbed into the bed and could still see him through a small opening in the doorway to the bathroom. She watched him rub his face in frustration before he splashed some water on it and brushed his teeth before joining her back in bed.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Ginny?"

She shifted in her sleep at the sound of her name.

"Ginny, hey...wake up,"

Ginny cracked her eyes open to see Lizzie's face in front of her.

"Hey, sweetie, what's up? Are you ok?" she asked, sitting up.

She turned to the side of her to see Draco was already up and out of bed.

"He's not here," Lizzie said.

"Draco? Where is he?"

Lizzie shrugged, "He said something about running home."

"Home? To the Manor?" Ginny asked before she ripped the blankets off of herself and quickly threw some clothes on.

"What's wrong?" she asked, watching Ginny become frantic.

Ginny went to leave and stopped to turn back to Lizzie. "I'll be back in a bit, promise me you'll stay away from your dad's bedroom until I get back," she said firmly, looking at her.

Lizzie gave her a sad nod.

"Good, I'll be back."

Ginny quickly ran out the front doors and through the wards and wasted no time apparating to Malfoy Manor.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"DRACO!" She yelled out into the foyer.

After no answer, she ran up to his bedroom and walked inside. "Draco?"

She started to panic and ran back downstairs and into the dining room and then the kitchen. She had stopped when she heard a sound coming from down the hall. She quickly made her way over to it and stopped right outside of the music room. She heard the sound of a piano key when she poked her head into the doorway and saw Draco sitting at the piano. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw him and walked over.

"Draco? What are you doing-"

She stopped when she took in his appearance, he was staring down at the piano as he lazily pressed a key here and there as he became completely lost in his thoughts. He didn't even notice her presence, even after she called his name. His face was covered in emotion and his hair was a mess as well as his clothes being all disheveled.

She sat down on the bench beside him, he had dark circles under his eyes, it reminded her of the first time she had seen Draco that night at dinner. He looked a mess right now and her heart sank. She could tell he had been drinking pretty heavily, the smell of liquor on him was strong.

"You've been drinking? Without me?" she lightly joked, causing him to give a small silent laugh. "Draco, what's going on? Why did you come here? It's risky to come here." she said, her tone more serious.

He suddenly had this amused look on his face. "You know I was thinking earlier to myself...hmm, what color was Astoria's eyes again? Then I realized...I couldn't remember," he said as he let out a light laugh. "I actually fuckin forgot the color of my own fiance's eyes," he said to her in amusement, before he continued to laugh.

Ginny just gave him a sad look.

He stopped laughing suddenly and hung his head. "Then I tried to remember the sound of her laugh...or the way she smiled...or even just her scent..." he started laughing again. "I COULDN'T REMEMBER SHIT!" he laughed out loud.

Ginny felt tears sting her eyes as she watched Draco's meltdown, she never saw him like this before and it was rather heart wrenching to watch. She watched him start to press the keys of the piano randomly and started shaking his head at how he suddenly couldn't play it. He got up and stumbled a bit as he walked over to the other instruments in the room. He picked up one of the guitars and suddenly swung it hard at the piano making the guitar bash into pieces.

Ginny covered her head and face as pieces of debris flew past her and she quickly got up and backed away from the piano. He grabbed his wand and whipped it wildly around the room, making almost everything in it explode into pieces and fly all over the room. He grabbed the bench to the piano and slammed it against the floor a few times until he broke it in half. He grabbed one half and continuously banged it against the now destroyed piano.

Ginny backed herself up into a corner and was ducked down into a ball as Draco just unleashed all his anger out on the piano. She didn't dare try to calm him yet, he had to let this all out. Her heart broke at the way she watched him rip that piano apart, a memory of his and Astoria's that he had always held dear was now a pile of debris.

He whipped his wand again and Ginny heard the windows shatter and then she heard him let out this soul-crushing angry scream before he fell to his knees and started sobbing uncontrollably. Ginny's heart was racing, she uncovered her face and felt all the debris and glass pieces in her hair and on her clothes. She wasn't sure what to do or what to say, was he angry with her? Did he blame her for making him forget all those wonderful things he loved about Astoria so much? She wasn't sure, but the love she had for him made her run to his side and kneel down beside him. She sat on the floor and pulled his head into her lap and just stroked his hair as he cried.

She felt this overwhelming love for the man in her arms, it literally was hurting her heart to see him so distraught. The whole reason she was helping Draco with his case in the first place was to find Astoria's killer and now there was so much more that came of it. She knew he felt guilty for not thinking of her as often as he use to and now he was afraid she was fading from his memory. The possibility of that alone was heart aching to think about, to literally lose the memory of what someone you loved looked like or sounded like was quite sad.

After a while of them both sitting there in silence and Draco sobering up a bit, his attention went to the strands of Ginny's hair lying against his face as he lay in her lap. His eyes were fixated on the ginger strands as they tickled his cheek. He turned to look up at her and was met with those amber eyes staring down at him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered out.

She shook her head, "Don't be, you don't have to apologize for a damn thing...ok?" she said, looking down at him.

He nodded before he reached up and pulled her face down to his. He kissed her so softly, but it was still as intoxicating as always.

"We should head back," she suggested.

He gave a small nod before he let her help him back up to his feet.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny was barely through the wards around the Zabini's when Harry ran out to her and Draco.

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU GUYS?" he yelled at them, panic and worry in his voice.

"Harry, we're fine, I'm-"

"It was my fault," Draco said, cutting her off. "I was just...dealing with some shit at the Manor and Ginny came to find me...sorry," he said, locking eyes with Harry, he felt horrible for having him worry over Ginny like that.

Harry wanted to yell at them both some more, but he could tell it was deeper than what Draco was making it out to be so dismissed it and gave a firm a nod.

"Well, you guys got back just in time, we just got another letter and its from Narcissa again. I've called a meeting."

Draco and Ginny exchanged a quick look before they hurried inside behind Harry.

Ginny was walking into the dining room when she saw Lizzie at the end of the table taking a seat next to where Lucius and Will were sitting.

She made her way over and sat beside her. "Hey, Lizzie?"

"Ginny! You're back," she said with a smile before she gave her a hug.

Ginny noticed Will glance over to her at Lizzie's fondness for her.

"Listen, Lizzie, I know you want to sit in on the meeting, but I think it's best if you sit this one out...ok?" she said with a smile.

"But..." Lizzie wanted to argue, she turned to look at her father who nodded for her to leave.

She gave a hard sigh before she slipped off the chair and left the room.

Ginny's eyes fell on Will once more, her expression turned angry. He met her gaze for a moment before he looked down at his bound hands. She quickly got up and took a seat further down the table next to Draco.

"Alright everyone, this letter came a little while ago... it's from Narcissa...it came with this," he said, holding up a vial of memories.

Conversation erupted around the table about what those memories could possibly be of. Ginny glanced at Will, who looked just as curious as everyone else.

Harry opened the letter and read it aloud. "I have no time to explain, Joe gave me these memories... look at them...Will isn't who you think he is," Harry finished the letter before looking down the table at Will. "Anything you want to confess now, Will?" he asked, a slight sneer on his face.

Will just shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand what that letter means," he said.

"It means you're still a sneaky son of a bitch who's trying to get one over on us," Ron said angrily.

"I've told you everything I know," Will said.

"No, you probably only told us what you wanted us to know...that's all...so let's see what else you're hiding," Harry said as he opened the vial.

This giant cloud of smoke surrounded them all and whipped around the room wildly. Ginny felt her hair blowing around her face as the cloud finally settled and the memory came into view.

It was night time and there was this cute little house in the background. Will was quickly making his way over to the house, he looked hurt and his face had a few cuts and bruises on it. He went to walk up the driveway to the house when someone, who was waiting for him ran to his side.

"William, you made it...where's Jessica?" Joe asked.

Will was silent, he just shook his head as he became emotional. "They killed her," he choked out.

Joe's expression turned angry, the hatred in his eyes was unnerving. "We need to go back and-"

"GO BACK? Are you mad?" Will shouted, he was angry at his brother's careless plan.

"The whole reason we went after these Death Eaters was to get some justice for our parents...and now for Jessica. You don't care about their deaths? You don't care that-"

"I DO CARE! But I want to be with my wife and kids right now, Joseph." Will said as he went to continue walking.

Joe grabbed him roughly back by the arm. "Will, hear me out...don't walk in there, come help me seek justice for our family. You need to think about what's really important here...they will be here when you get back, let them think you're still captured so your focus could be on helping us."

Will ripped his arm from his brother's grasp and shoved him backward. "Do you hear yourself? Think about what's important? This is my family and THEY are what is really important right now."

"And me? Johnathan? Ethan? Thomas? What about us? What about Jessica or-"

"GO HOME JOSEPH!" Will yelled. "Go home before you do something stupid," he said, walking once more up the driveway.

"William, wait, don't," Joe argued, grabbing him again until Will finally turned and shoved him even harder making him fall back onto the grass.

"WILL! IS THAT YOU!" came a woman's voice from the front door suddenly.

Will looked at Joe once more, "Go home, Joe, we can talk tomorrow...I'm sorry," Will said as he ran up to the front door where he scooped Elaina up in his arms.

Joe just had this deadly glare on his face as he watched his brother reunite with his family. His blood was boiling at his decision to not help him go after the Death Eaters that killed their sister and parents.

"No...I'm sorry...brother," he whispered out as he grabbed his wand and pointed it at him. "Imperio."

Joe just got up from the ground and started making his way towards the house, as he approached it, he could hear Elaina screaming. His lips formed into an evil smile as he walked through the front door. He heard a child crying down the hall and another one scream, followed by a loud crash and the sound of some glass breaking. Joe watched a five year old Lizzie running towards him, her face soaked with tears.

"Uncle Joe, what's wrong with daddy?" she cried, latching onto him for protection and practically crawling up his body as she feared her father's approach.

"Go hide in there, I'll take care of it, sweetie," he said, nodding to a closet down a side hall.

She nodded and quickly ran into the small space and closed the door. Joe went to go take a step when he felt someone gently grab his ankle.

"J...Joseph.."

He squatted down in front of Elaina's bloody body, she was an inch from death.

"Pl...please help u...us," she pleaded through her trembling voice, blood dripping from her mouth.

Joe just gave her this sadistic smile. "Now why would I do that?" He said with a small laugh before he grabbed the knife sticking out of her and slit her throat with it.

He stood up and saw Will walking back from down the hall, his body covered in the blood of his family. His mind only set on killing the ones he loved. "Lizzie...where are you?" he asked in a playful tone, a knife firmly held in his hand.

"She's in there...the closet," Joe said, pointing to the one he told her to hide in.

The memory started fading with just the sound of Lizzie's screams as Will broke down the closet door. The memory went to a scene with Will and Joe talking; Will looked like hell, his face was pale and his eyes were sunken in.

"How's Lizzie?"

"She's going to pull through," Will whispered, unable to look at his brother. "You were right...that night, I never should have gone inside. I should've known they would be a target," he said as a tear slid down his face.

"Now are you ready to start listening to me? Now, are you ready to seek some vengeance?" Joe asked, placing a hand on WIll's shoulder in his fake attempt to comfort him.

Will just nodded.

"Let's start with those Death Eaters that made you kill your family," Joe said.

The memory faded again, this time Joe was with his brother Johnathan.

"I've finally mastered this Imperius curse...I can literally just be standing near you or be in another city and still control someone's mind." Joe said, excitement in his voice.

"How much longer are you going to do this to William and Thomas? How much longer are we going to go around seeking out and killing Death Eaters?" Johnathan asked.

"Oh Johnathan, do I have to Imperius you too?"

"You wouldn't dare?"

"I guess you'll never know...I can make you think whatever I want, say what I want you to say and do whatever I choose for you to do...don't tempt me," he warned.

Again, the memory changed, this time Joe and Will were in a dark alleyway.

"Joe, it's been three years now, how much longer are we going to hunt down Ex-Death Eaters?"

"Ex? THERE IS NO EX- DEATH EATER, WILLIAM...once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater."

"But this Draco Malfoy guy we're waiting for...I thought they were pardoned-"

Joe slammed Will up against the wall. "DAMMIT WILLIAM, WHEN THE HELL WILL YOU GET THIS THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL. THESE PEOPLE ARE GUILTY, THEY ALWAYS WILL BE...REMEMBER WHAT THEY MADE YOU TO DO YOUR FAMILY? MAYBE YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT THEIR SLAUGHTERED BODIES EVERYTIME YOU FIGHT ME ON TAKING DOWN A FUCKIN DEATH EATER!" he yelled at him.

"I want justice...but I don't want to kill anybody," Will said.

There was a young woman laughing down one of the alleys. Joe had a twisted smile etched on his face. "Speaking of our dear Draco Malfoy, it's showtime. Let me show you how it's done...brother," Joe said as he nodded to the other men he had with him.

Will watched him walk down the alleyway towards Draco and Astoria. He heard Astoria's screams echo throughout the night sky as he slid to the ground and listened to the brutal scene taking place.

At this point in the memories, Ginny turned to Draco, his face was full of anger, as tears fell. She felt her own tears continue to flow since she had seen the first memory appear. She turned back to the next memory that appeared before her.

"So this is your office? Not bad...have you had a chance to collect anything else on the Malfoys? They have that damn ward up...is there anything about that in his file?" Joe asked.

"You're still on that? How much more do you want Joseph? You're becoming a killer, just like the people you're hunting down." Will said.

"At least one of us cares enough to get some kind of vengeance."

Will just sat down, ignoring his brother's comment. "Mr. Potter has asked me to help him with a specific case," he said suddenly.

Joe looked at him curiously, "What case would that be?"

"Draco Malfoy's...about Astoria Greengrass' murder."

Joe just started laughing, "This is perfect, you, of course, agreed, yes?"

"No, I haven't given him an answer yet."

"Are you fuckin mad? Of course you need to work on it with him, this way any leads he finds you can shift and then collect any other additional information about the Malfoys."

Will gave a long sigh. "Joe, I'm done with this, I just want to try and move on with my life...can't you try and get past all of this?"

"Fuck, Will, I swear you surprise me every day with the shit that comes out of your mouth. Are you that much a coward that you can't-"

"I'm not a coward," he said, turning angry.

"Really? Then prove it, accept the case."

The scene changed to the night of Ginny's attack, she wasn't prepared to relive the experience over again.

"Where the fuck is this little bitch?" Joe asked angrily pacing up and down the side alley.

He looked up to see Will walking up to him finally.

"Hey, what's going on, you asked me to meet you here?" Will asked.

"Where the hell have you been? I asked you to get your arse here almost an hour ago."

"I was just finishing some work up. Why are we all here? You're not planning another attack are you?"

"I am, and this one...is a special case. I think I want you to do it this time." Joe said with an evil grin.

"NO! I told you already, I want to help, but I don't want to kill anyone...and I won't...I'm not a monster...like you." Will said, his tone angry.

"Me, a monster? I'm not the one who sliced and diced my wife and kids-"

Will punched him hard in the face. "Fuck you, Joe."

Joe just wiped his mouth and smirked at his brother. "Well, finally, some balls...now come here."

Feeling bad that he just punched his brother, he walked over to him.

"After Thomas was killed, I've been keeping a close eye on our precious Malfoys. Potter has been working with him too, and passing off some info and quite frankly, I'm tired of him poking his nose around. So I'm going to go meet Malfoy and his dear friend Blaise on the other side of town here and while I'm taking care of that...I want you to take care of her." he said.

"Who?" WIll asked, looking ahead at the crowd of people down the street Joe was pointing to.

"The redhead."

"That's Ginny Weasley, she's with Harry...What exactly does she have to do with any of this?"

"We need to teach Potter a lesson, I want you to kill her."

"WHAT? WHAT THE FUCK JOE?" he asked, a look of shock on his face as he backed away from his brother.

"Oh, please William, it's time you get your hands dirty."

"Screw this...you're crazy...you've gone too far now. She's pregnant! And more importantly, she's innocent!"

"So what, she has to go, now, here," Joe said, placing a knife in his brothers pocket and a black mask in his hand. "Get to it."

"I'm done with this whole thing, I really wanted justice for my family and for our parents and Jessica...but this isn't justice...not the justice I want," Will said, turning away and leaving.

Joe just watched him walk towards Ginny, it looked like he was going to warn her of his brother's plan, but before Will could reach her Joe got into his head and he walked down a side alley instead. Will placed the mask on his face and pulled out his knife and soon the attack on Ginny had played out.

Ginny's body shook with emotion as she watched the scene unfold, she finally managed to turn her gaze to Will down the table, his face was covered in tears, but his eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. Her heart sank at the sight of him, she could feel the sorrow and guilt he had just by looking at him. She turned her attention back to the next memory of Will in his apartment, Joe was sitting on a chair in the kitchen watching him.

"Calm down, William, you did what had to be done," Joe said with a shrug.

Will peeled the blood-soaked shirt off himself and barely made it to the sink when he threw up. His body was shaking from head to toe as he thought back to what he had just done to Ginny and her baby.

"What happened to me? Why couldn't I stop myself? Why would I say those things?" He cried.

"Perhaps maybe you're more evil than you thought?" Joe suggested, an evil smirk crossing his face as he continued to keep his use of the Imperius curse on him a secret.

He just watched Will become an emotional mess.

"Looks like you're in too deep now, William...time to get back to the plan."

Again the scene changed to Joe inside of Will's office at the Ministry.

"So, I just got back from seeing Johnathan after the attack at Hogsmeade," Joe said, looking at his brother with anger.

Will shrugged, "Ok, what about it?"

Joe grabbed him roughly by the collar of his shirt. "And Ginny Weasley...she's alive, all this time I thought she was dead and she's been coming around the Ministry for how long now? And you failed to mention this to me?" he asked, giving him a piercing stare.

"I didn't want you to hurt her, but she has no memory of what happened to her...they were removed." he quickly said, hoping it would get his brothers mind off of her.

"Interesting, she's also been hanging out with Draco Malfoy...this could be more interesting than I thought."

Once more the memory changed and this time Will and Joe were in Kingsley's office.

"Johnathan is dead, your pal Draco killed him, do you even care?" Joe spat.

"Of course I care."

"Really, because you're constantly defending the whole lot of them. You know what Will, I want you to go pay of dear, Ginny Weasley a visit," he said, as he dove into Will's mind and twisted it to his liking. "Her and Lucius are at this location right now at some abandoned house," he said handing Will a piece of paper. "When you get there...I want you to break her."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll know when you get there," Joe said with a wide grin.

The memory showed Will in that abandoned house as he watched Ginny throw herself onto the old couch and tended to her leg. The memory faded just as Will grabbed her from the couch and dragged her across the house into a different room.

The cloud around them all soon disappeared and there was not one sound that filled the room. Everyone's eyes were on Will at this point, he didn't speak, he just had his still bounded hands over his mouth as he watched in disbelief. His face drenched in tears and his body trembling with emotion.

"Let's continue this later, everyone." Harry choked out through his own emotions.

It took people a few moments to get up and leave the dining room, even Lucius had been staring at Will in shock before he snapped out of it and left Will alone. Nobody knew what to do or what to say so they left the room and left Will to comprehend everything he just saw. Ginny felt Draco tug on her wrist to pull her from the room, but she couldn't move...everything was different. Will was innocent, he was actually a pretty decent guy and he tried to defend them even against Joe. He even intended to warn Ginny about her attack before he was put under the Imperius curse.

A part of her wanted to comfort him, but the other part still saw the man who raped her, the man who killed her father and her child. She heard Draco whisper her name out as he gave her arm a light yank before she started walking out of the room. She turned back to look at Will once more before she walked into the hallway. Her legs were shaking and she leaned against the wall for a moment.

She suddenly heard Will's breakdown echo throughout the other room and down the hall she was in. She just stood there looking at Draco and Harry standing in front of her before she felt her body slide to the floor and she started crying. She couldn't help the emotional pain of the entire situation, reliving those moments, seeing Will's past...it was more than she could take...it was more than anyone could take.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Where's Ginny? Why can't she tuck me in?" Lizzie asked.

"She isn't feeling well," Draco said, waiting for her to get into the bed.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know, now get in the bed," he said impatiently.

"Is she not feeling well as in sick? Or like depressed?" Lizzie went on to ask.

"Just get in the damn bed," he snapped.

"Wow, so comforting, now I could really fall asleep knowing I was tucked in by a lovely guy such as yourself. I take it you're not familiar with this sort of thing," she said, crawling into the bed and laying down as she propped her head up on her hand and looked at him.

"Not really, kid," he said, taking a seat on the bed, he was lost in the memories he had watched earlier.

"Kid?" She rolled her eyes and laid back. "Draco?"

"Hmm?" he answered, looking out into space as she tucked herself in.

"Are you and Ginny married?"

He looked at her, "No, why?"

She shrugged, "I was just curious, you think you will marry her? Can I come to the wedding?"

"Go to sleep," he said, getting up from the bed.

"I saw them you know," she said suddenly.

"Saw what?"

"The memories...I saw them," she said in a small voice.

He walked back over to her and sat on the edge of the bed facing her.

"Lizzie, why would you watch those? Ginny told you to stay away."

"I wanted to see what happened...I wanted to see how my dad ended up doing such horrible things..." she trailed off. "What's going to happen now? Are you guys going to kill my father?"

"What? No...nobody is going to kill your dad," he said, his voice became more comforting when he saw her start to tear up.

"But you were going to...when you thought he knowingly did those things?"

He looked at her small tear-stained face. "Honestly, I don't think we would have even then."

"Draco...why would my Uncle do that? Why would he want to hurt us...me?" she cried.

He got up and sat beside her, pulling her into his arms to hug her as she started crying.

"Lizzie..." he trailed off, not sure of what to say. "I don't know." was all he could manage to get out.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny made her nightly stroll down to the kitchen after she had trouble sleeping, she saw Ethan was already up.

"Tea?" he asked her.

"No, thanks, I just need some water," she said, filling a glass up and taking a few sips.

They were both silent, they knew what the other was thinking about.

"Have you spoken to him yet?" Ginny asked.

Ethan let out a long sigh. "No, I didn't know what to say, I thought maybe he might need some time," he explained.

Ginny just nodded.

"Ethan...what Joe did..." she trailed off, her anger rising.

"I didn't think my brother had such darkness in him...I can't believe the things he's done...and William and Lizzie, the loss they are facing because of him. I don't know what to say to him Ginny, what do you say to someone who has lost everything, who has done unthinkable things?" Ethan just shook his head in disbelief before he excused himself and went upstairs.

Ginny made her way back upstairs and stopped by Lizzie's bedroom to check on her. She peeked her head in and saw Draco had fallen asleep beside her. A smile formed on her face as she quietly closed the door and her gaze went to the last door all the way down the hall to Will's room. She thought about the memory Lizzie shared with her of her and her father sleeping in her bed and having one of their many talks. Ginny felt this overwhelming sadness for Will and Lizzie and she once again found herself outside of Will's room.

She put her ear up to the door to see if she could hear if he was awake or not. She gave a small knock before she popped her head in. The room was dark except for a dimly lit lamp that was on. She didn't see him at first, but her eyes finally found him in the corner of the room sitting on the floor.

"Will?" she called out to him.

He didn't answer her.

She walked over to him and stood there for a moment, his face had nothing but agony etched on it, his eyes were red and swollen. She felt her lip tremble as her emotions tried to surface, but she tried to pull herself together. She took a seat on the floor next to him and just sat there in silence for a while.

"I'm sorry, Will...I'm sorry about what happened to you," she said softly.

He turned to look at her, his eyes had so much pain in them, she felt the tears sting her eyes as she bit her lip to suppress her cries.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing...I can't begin to even try to comprehend everything I saw...how he made me do those things...my children...my Elaina. How do I even try to deal with this? I'm a monster-"

"No, you're not, Joe made you into a monster...Joe is the monster," she said with a firm tone, her emotional voice turning to one full of anger and hatred.

He just shook his head. "Stop...I can't even show my face...how can you even speak to me right now?" he said, looking at her, his expression angry, but his face full of tears

She watched him look away, "Will-"

"Ginny... stop," he said, turning back to her. His eyes were filled with fresh tears which prompted hers to start falling. "Please get out...please stop trying to make it sound like everything is better now that I know it wasn't really me doing these things. They still happened and I'm the one who remembered doing them...so there is NOTHING you can say right now that could possibly make one single thing better...so just...please...leave me be," he pleaded with her before he turned away once more.

She just stared at him for a moment and gave a tearful nod before she got up and left his room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He just sat there watching her for a moment, she could feel him staring. She looked up and looked directly at him. "Yes, Joseph?"

He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands and kept staring at her. "Tell me something Narcissa...do you love your son?"

"My son? Draco? Why?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.

"I think maybe you remember more than you're letting on," he simply said.

She felt her heart start to race. "What gives you that impression?"

"You just haven't really acknowledged you have a son until I said something...and remembered his name, so...naturally you must have some of your normal mindset back."

"What are you implying-"

"What I would like for you to do is to prove to me that you are still working with me and not against me," he said looking at her.

Narcissa suddenly grabbed the knife from Joe's pocket, her hands were moving on their own. She held the knife to her own throat and pressed it hard against her skin.

Joe smiled at her. "Quite unsettling to see yourself doing something, but unable to stop it, right? I could make you slit your own throat right now. I can also make you aware that you're doing it or unaware. I can make you think what I want and say anything I want you to say...so many different ways to control the mind...fascinating really."

Narcissa felt the knife move away from her neck and then down to her wrists.

"Maybe you went mad and took your own life? That sounds like it would fit," he said, making her pierce the skin on her arm with the knife.

She let out a hiss of pain and her hands involuntarily moved the blade to wherever he wanted it to go.

"I want to serve you and only you, even if that means killing my own son just to prove I'm loyal to you." she heard herself say it, but she didn't mean it.

The feeling of having Joe control her every word and every move with little to no effort was definitely unsettling. If he made it past the wards of the Zabini's he could potentially have them all turning on each other with how skilled he was with the use of the Imperius curse.

"That's a great idea Narcissa, I'm glad you thought of it," he said with an amused smile. "I think I might just need you to do that JUST so I really know for sure. See...I tried to tell Will all those years ago, kids just get in the way...it's better to remove them from the picture this way we could focus on what really needs to be done."

Narcissa felt her blood boiling as he spoke to her and then she felt panic. She quickly tried to regain her composure. "That won't be an issue, but what about William?"

"What about him?"

"Once we are through the wards do you plan to use him again?"

"Will is as dead as the rest of them are once I get through, he was always so weak and always asking questions instead of just doing what he was told. He's done most of the grunt work...the rest I can handle." he stood up and walked over to her, a smirk forming on his face.

"Come Narcissa, let's go coffin shopping for your boy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, thoughts? There is probably only like two chapters left, possibly three...we will see. I really felt the scene with Draco's meltdown was important because with everything happening with Will and Ginny I didn't want us to forget what our dear Draco had lost in all of this and what really brought them together, make sense? Please review!


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This is a longer chapter! I really hope you all enjoy it.
> 
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> 
> Thank you to all my reviewers! It is so appreciated!

He stared at the two vials in his hand and then back at the two letters in his other hand. He reread the part that said, "I love you, Draco". His eyes traveled to his mother's signature and ran his thumb over the ink. He pocketed the vials and ripped the letter up as instructed and put the other one in his side drawer. He let out a shaky breath before he accepted what the letter said and made his way downstairs to breakfast.

As he was walking down the hall, he noticed Will's bedroom door was open. He raised an eyebrow at this since it had been almost two days since Will's memories were out in the open and he hadn't been out of his room since. He didn't even want to see his own daughter as the shame and guilt ate away at him. Draco wasn't sure how he felt about the entire situation, what he did know was that Will wasn't an evil person, he was a pretty good guy.

The problem everyone seemed to be having when it came to trying to have any interaction with him was not knowing what to say. The other thing was seeing Will as anything else but the man who's been making their lives a living hell for all these months. Draco thought of Ginny, she had it the worst when it came to looking at Will as anything else other than her daughter and father's murderer.

Draco was getting ready to walk towards the bedroom when he stopped himself and went down for breakfast instead. He walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the table and got lost in his thoughts.

"Hey, are you ok?" Ginny asked, noticing his deep thought.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine," he said.

She continued to look at him for another moment before she gave a small smile. She turned to look at Lizzie sitting on the side of her and saw she looked sad and disappointed about her lack of interaction with her father since she had first seen him again. Ginny knew how much Will loved his daughter and she knew how much he was dealing with, but pushing her away wasn't going to work...for either of them. Ginny glanced at Harry for a moment as he too had seen Lizzie struggling these past few days.

"Maybe you should go talk to your dad after breakfast?" Harry suggested.

She nodded happily at him, she was always excited when she had a chance to speak to her father.

"Mr. Potter?" came a voice from the doorway.

Everyone turned to see Will standing there.

"Is it possible I could have a word with you for a moment?" he asked.

"Of course," Harry responded, getting up and walking into the hall with him. "What's going on?"

Will couldn't look at him, he looked everywhere else but at Harry. "I think I should leave, is there anything else you require from me before I do? Any information I had or remember I've already given to you and the Order."

"I don't think you should leave, I think you could be more helpful to us if you stayed and helped us-"

"There is nothing I can help with," he quickly said.

Harry just looked at him with a frown. "And Lizzie? She is going with you?"

"If she wants to," he said quietly.

"Of course she would want to, you're her father."

Will just ran his hand through his hair in frustration before he gave a hard sigh. Harry could see the pain and the guilt in him.

"Listen, Will, I think it's safer for you and Lizzie to stay behind these wards...you are probably a target just like anyone of us now. You need to think of Lizzie before you decide to leave, but if that's what you really want to do then I won't stop you."

"You would offer me protection after what I've done?"

"You mean after you found out you were just another victim of Joe's sick plan for vengeance...just like the rest of us are...Yes." Harry looked at his expression, he could tell that Will was thinking of Lizzie's safety, he could care less about his own.

Harry had to look at Will and try to forget seeing him as the person who killed Lily and Arthur. He had to put that aside and just look at the man as he was now...broken and full of so much guilt.

"Will, I can't even begin to imagine what you're feeling right now...I can't... and I know you probably don't care or believe a word I'm about to say. We've worked together for a couple of years now and even though you were most days a pawn in Joe's plan, there were times when I know it was just you...just Will. That is the real man you are, the one who saved my arse countless times out there in the field. There was so much more information you knew we had on the Malfoys and you never handed it over to him. So as you try to work through all of this... don't forget the good that you tried to do while under your brother's curse."

"Dad?"

Will and Harry turned to see Lizzie standing in the hallway.

Harry turned back to Will and looked at him once more. "Think about what I said," he said before walking away.

"Hey baby, how you holding up?" he asked her as he squatted in front of her as she approached him.

"Why are you avoiding me?" she asked.

"I'm not."

"You are, I saw those memories, Dad, that's not who you are," she said, her eyes stinging with tears.

He hung his head at her words. "I want to be there for you Lizzie, I should be...and I'm sorry that us being together again hasn't worked out how you hoped it would."

She looked at him, her expression was a bit hard. "Why don't you let me be there for you Dad? We are a family, let me help you...I can handle your burdens."

He smiled at her words and how mature she was. "I love you, Elizabeth...come here," he said as he wrapped her up into a tight hug.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny knocked on the door and barely waited for an answer before she went to open it but was surprised when Will opened it first. He just looked at her for a moment before he opened it all the way and walked back over to the couch.

"Ginny...what could I possibly do for you this evening?" he asked, sitting on the couch.

"Well, you can start with staying, why the hell would you leave...Lizzie is safer here and so are you. We could use your help-"

"WITH WHAT, GINNY?" he yelled suddenly. "I don't know anything...I don't even know the last time I was my actual self or spoke my own fuckin words. How can I possibly be of any help to you?"

She was silent for a moment. "Well, for starters, Narcissa isn't here right now and she was the only one I knew that could teach every one of us here the most advanced magic I had ever seen. The only other person here that's as close to her skill set right now is you. It would great if you could show the Order some of what you know."

He looked at her with an almost shocked expression. "You want me to show the Order?" he scoffed at the idea. "Me? Of all people? You're crazy."

She was quiet, yes, it was so hard for her to accept Will as an innocent man, but she knew the advantages of having him on their side. She leaned against the wall and folded her arms and just looked at the sadness in his face as he hung his head.

"What was the name of that diner in Diagon Alley? You know... the one you took me to for lunch again?" she suddenly asked.

He shook his head at the question. "Maples...I think."

She gave a small laugh. "Yes, Maple's Diner...where you first asked me on a date," she said in amusement.

He gave a small laugh at the memory. "You would assume it to be a breakfast place, but-"

"But they weren't even open for breakfast," Ginny giggled.

They were both quiet for a moment.

"That was probably one of the few times I was actually myself," he said softly.

"What about our date?"

"Yeah, probably then too...unfortunately," he said shaking his head in embarrassment.

"Oh no," she started laughing, "And it was so horrible too, you were so boring." she teased.

"In my defense, I was quite nervous and you had been the first girl I asked out since..." he trailed off.

Ginny walked over and sat beside him. "I want you to stay...please, I don't want to see you or Lizzie get hurt."

He turned to look at her, his eyes were stinging with tears. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

She looked away, "Why are you asking me that? Do you want me to be mean to you?" she asked.

"To be honest...yes, I want you to hate me for what I did...I want you to stop pretending like it's not one of the hardest things you've had to do to come talk to me. That every time you look at me your mind goes back to that night or to that abandoned house and that rundown room." he hissed at her, tears falling down his face. "You've always been so blunt about things so just say it."

She wiped her own tears away, he wasn't wrong in what he was saying, but she wanted Lizzie to have her father back. She knew Will was an innocent man and she tried so hard to see that in him.

"Yes, it is so incredibly hard to make the attempt, but I had a few opportunities throughout these past few months to get a glimpse of the real Will and he's a great guy...you're a great guy. I can tell you were an amazing father and still can be to Lizzie and that is what makes it easier for me to accept you. Knowing everything that you have been through and knowing that you can still have a happy ending with Lizzie makes it so much easier."

He got up from the couch and slowly paced the room. "Ginny, I don't think I'll make it through this...I know I have Lizzie and you don't know how badly I want that to be enough for me to overcome these feelings." he cried to her. He started falling apart before her eyes, once again she felt her own tears falling as the agony he felt spilled down his face. "I know you think you can fix everything with your words and your ridiculously big heart, but this isn't one of those times...it's just not."

Ginny suddenly felt horrible, she felt bad for pressuring him to get over something like this so soon. She got up and went to leave his room when she stopped and turned to look at him. "I'm sorry...I just wanted to help," she said before she quickly left his room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco listened to Ginny tell him about her encounter with Will earlier. He definitely saw the advantage of having Will show them some of the magic he knew that they could learn. He lost track of how many times his mother showed him a spell that he thought was lame that ended up saving his arse at one point in his life. He listened to her go on about the guilt and pain he was in and Draco soon got lost in her altogether.

Draco just sat on his bed and watched her across the room in the bathroom as she brushed her teeth and then rinsed her mouth out. She looked over to him when she felt him staring at her.

"What?" she asked with a smile, before grabbing a brush off the counter and started combing her hair.

He just shrugged before he got up and walked into the bathroom with her. Ginny looked in the mirror to see him watching her still and she put the brush down and turned to face him.

"What is it?" she asked, letting out a light laugh when she noticed him just smiling at her once more.

"Nothing, I just like watching you," he said casually.

"That's creepy," she teased him.

He took a step towards her until she felt her back against the bathroom counter. His body was firmly against hers as his fingers danced across her shoulder and pulled the thin strap of her tank top aside and kissed her skin. She felt a shiver run throughout her body as he continued to kiss her soft pale skin. She felt his lips kiss her neck and then her earlobe until he reached her lips. He kissed her so passionately it made her completely stop everything she was doing and just get lost in the kiss.

She felt his hands grab her waist and prop her up on the counter and then pulled her to him the rest of the way as she wrapped her legs around him. She felt him hungrily kiss her, his need for her was apparent in the way he firmly handled her and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying every minute of it. He slipped his fingers under the band of her pants and underwear and roughly pulled them down. He barely had his own pants down before he pulled her onto him and grabbed her waist towards his thrusting body.

He picked her up and turned to pin her against the wall as she used the towel bar and the shower curtain rod for support. They both let out a muffled laugh between kisses when the towel bar broke and she almost fell. The firm hold he had on her kept her in place as he continuously grinded into her; her moans echoing throughout the bathroom. She felt his release inside her as she tightened her grip on his shoulders as she felt hers soon after.

He rested his forehead against hers as they both caught their breath. Ginny soon found herself in the bathtub with Draco on top of her as her firm hold on the shower curtain gave out and ripped from the rod.

"Ah, fuck that hurt," she said, rubbing her elbow that she used to break her fall.

Draco rubbed his knee where he hit it on the bathtub and started laughing along with Ginny.

"You know, there was a bed right over there," she said, slapping him on the chest.

"You made a lot of noise...as usual," he said, holding his hand out to help her up. "Whose room is next to ours?"

"I think Charlie's?" she laughed.

"He's definitely going to be wondering what happened in here last night," Draco said as they both continued to laugh.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco woke up and looked at the clock and saw it was a little past three in the morning. He turned to see Ginny fast asleep next to him, her flaming hair was draped over her face and pillow as the moonlight radiated off of it through the opening in his curtain. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before he slipped out of bed and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. He was surprised to see Will up and out of his room, they exchanged a quick look.

"Sorry, I didn't think anyone would be up at this hour, I was just grabbing a drink." Will said.

Draco scoffed at his comment, "Nobody up at this hour? Pft, there's more traffic coming in and out of this kitchen at night than there is during the day. The only one who's probably sleeping soundly is Longbottom." he said as he grabbed the bottle of Firewhisky out of the cabinet and two shot glasses.

Will watched him take a seat at the counter and he gestured for Will to sit with him as he poured him a drink. He took a seat and just looked at the shot glass and then back up at Draco.

"It's three in the morn-"

He stopped when he watched Draco throw the shot back. He picked up the glass and looked at it for a quick moment before he also threw his back. Draco poured two more glasses and they both sat there in silence. This was Draco's first interaction with Will since the truth behind his past was revealed.

"I guess you decided to stay after all?" Draco asked.

Will just gave a small, silent chuckle. "Well, between Harry and Ginny's lecture-"

"Oh, yeah, forget it, they got to you...now you have to stay. They have that effect on people, it's quite annoying."

"I'll help in any way I can for as long as the Order requires it," he said quietly.

Draco just looked at him, a slight frown forming on his face. "They're right though...Harry and Ginny...you should stay, it's safer and more beneficial to us," he said, grabbing his other shot and throwing it back. "Plus you and Lizzie will be safe...well until your brother figures out a way through our wards."

Will just nodded at his comment.

Draco sat there and got lost in his thoughts for a moment, his mind went back to the letter he got from his mother this morning. He looked at Will drink the other shot as he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as well.

"Are you alright?" Will asked Draco as he watched his expression turn to one of uncertainty.

Draco just looked at him, "I need to tell you something," he said as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

Will furrowed his eyebrows at his words, what could Draco possibly need to tell him.

"This morning I got a letter from my mother...in it she explained that-"

He stopped talking when Harry walked into the kitchen rubbing his eyes. "Oh, hey, sorry, couldn't sleep."

"See, I told you...all night long," Draco said to Will, gesturing to Harry's entrance into the kitchen.

He exchanged a look with Will that told him not to mention the letter.

Harry took a seat at the counter with them, "Well, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who drinks at three in the morning," he said, grabbing the bottle of Firewhisky and pouring himself a drink.

"Why is everyone awake?" Ginny asked, walking into the kitchen rubbing her eyes.

Draco just smirked at the crowd forming around the counter and held the bottle up to her. "Drink?"

She shrugged and took a seat with them all. "Are we forming a nightmare club?" she joked, throwing the shot back.

"Yeah, except nobody is willing to share so we all just drink instead." Harry drawled.

"What are you guys doing?" came Lizzie's voice from the doorway.

"We're having a drink, kid," Draco said as she walked over and sat between Ginny and her dad.

"Can I have one?"

"Sure you can," Draco said, pouring her a shot and sliding it over to her.

She went to grab it when Will's hand covered it and slid it away from her, "I don't think so," he said with amusement before he shot Draco a quick glare. "Are you having trouble sleeping?" he asked Lizzie.

She nodded. "Can you come stay with me until I fall asleep?" she asked him, her voice was filled with uncertainty at how he would react to her request.

He locked eyes with Ginny for a moment and saw her smile at Lizzie's request. Draco noticed this as Will smiled back.

"Of course I can, come on," he said, taking her hand and leading her out of the kitchen.

"I guess, I'll head back to bed too," Harry said, taking one last shot and walking out the kitchen.

"Night," Ginny called to him as he lazily waved Goodnight over his shoulder.

She turned back to face Draco and found him staring at her once again. "What? Why do you keep staring at me today?" she asked with some amusement.

He didn't say anything at first.

"Drac-"

"He's in love with you," he casually said, pouring another drink and throwing it back.

"Who? Harry?" she asked.

"Will"

"WHAT? You're insane," she said, shaking her head at his ridiculous comment.

He got up and started walking with her back to his room. "Just saying," he shrugged.

She shot him an angry glare and walked ahead of him into the bedroom and slammed the door in his face before he could walk in. He went to turn the doorknob and noticed it was locked and he smirked to himself.

"Ginny, I'm sorry, now let me in," he said through the door.

After a few moments, he realized she wasn't opening the door.

"You know this is my bedroom, right?"

After another moment he just sighed and walked into Ginny's bedroom, "Great job Draco, you dumb dick," he mumbled to himself before he threw himself on her bed.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny watched Draco sleeping in her bed, she felt a bit guilty for locking him out of his own room in the middle of the night. She thought about what he said about Will last night and wasn't sure how she felt about the possibility of Will having feelings towards her in that way. She didn't in any way feel anything like that towards him, but she would be lying to herself if she said she didn't have a soft spot for the guy. She remembered when she and Will first started talking and how sweet and charming he was to her. She just knew that those moments were his own and not Joe's.

The idea of Will being in love with her, though, made her quite uncomfortable. Sure, she was flattered by his feelings, but it was different with Will, he was the face of the man who caused her so much pain. She would never feel anything like that towards him, especially since she was ridiculously in love with the bloody wanker sleeping before her.

She pinched his nose suddenly and watched him jolt up from his sleep and catch his breath making her laugh.

"What the bloody hell?"

"What are you doing in my room?" she asked.

"Like you don't know," he drawled.

She just started giggling at how upset he got. He grabbed her to him and pinned her down to the bed.

"You're really asking for it," he warned her, his eyes piercing into hers.

"And what's that exactly?" she asked, her soft voice tickling his ear.

He crashed his lips down on hers and slid his hand down into her pants.

"Ginny?" came a voice through the door.

"Motherfucker," Draco mumbled as all kissing and groping came to a stop.

Ginny just lightly laughed.

"She's not even our kid and she's interrupting our sex life," he said, sitting up in bed with her.

"Come in, Lizzie," she called out.

Lizzie walked into the bedroom and sat at the bottom of the bed. "Something is happening to that thing outside," she said.

"What thing?" Ginny asked.

Lizzie shrugged, "I don't know, that clear wall thing around the house."

Ginny exchanged a quick look with Draco before they both jumped off the bed and ran over to the window. The wards around the house were damaged and it was getting ready to fall. They both ran to go find Harry and McGonagall when they met each other halfway down the hall.

"The wards...what's happening?" Ginny asked.

"It looks like Joe found a way through them," Harry said.

"How much longer before they completely fall?" Draco asked.

"At the rate the damage is spreading right now...I'd say by the end of the day...maybe tomorrow," McGonagall said.

"I guess we should call a meeting," Harry said, as the rest of them nodded in agreement.

Draco turned to Ginny as he watched Harry and McGonagall walking away. "Hey, I'll meet you down there," he said.

She nodded and then made her way downstairs.

Draco grabbed the letter in his drawer from his mother and walked down to Will's room and gave a quick knock.

Will opened the door with a surprised look. "Draco? What can I do for you?"

"This is what I needed to tell you last night," he said, handing him the letter.

Will read the letter to himself, his eyes went a bit wide. "You have the potions?"

Draco nodded.

"This is risky...you're ok with this?"

Draco didn't say anything.

"What about Ginny, she'll be-"

"She'll be ok, besides it won't be for long...hopefully, but I need you to make sure it follows through. It needs to be a genuine reaction... or he'll know." Draco explained.

Will nodded.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Tensions were high during the meeting, everyone was worried about the wards falling. McGonagall had tried to put them back in place, but whatever Joe had Narcissa doing to them was overpowering any charms McGonagall tried to put up.

"Will, is there anything else you could tell us about Joe that might make a bit of difference in helping us put an end to him?" Harry asked.

Will just looked around the table, this was the first time he'd been addressed since the truth behind his past came out. "Um, well, Joseph is quite gifted when it comes to attacking and defensive spells. His charmwork is not very good and his anger is his weakness, the more he's pushed, the more careless he'll get when it comes to producing solid magic. Don't be fooled by what I'm saying though...when his curses are on point...they are deadly and destructive. He also tends to attack physically rather than magically, so I would watch out for that." he finished, as he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

"What about the Imperius Curse? When that ward comes down, we could be killing each other for all we know." Ron stated.

Will didn't say anything, the subject of the Imperius curse was still a sensitive one.

"If that happens, then we will just have to secure that person until we are certain they are no longer under the effects of the curse," Harry said.

"So keep them locked up...like a prisoner?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, its the only way right now, but that is honestly the least of our concerns The ward will be down and without the help of Narcissa, I don't see how we will be able to get one as secure as the last one up." Harry continued.

"How many people are actually following your brother?" Lucius asked.

"I don't know exactly, it's been years that he's been recruiting...a couple hundred. However, most of these people aren't loyal and probably stopped following him a while ago. If Joe was dead, then the rest will scatter...it's really his own personal vendetta."

"The other thing is your skill set...I know for a fact you have a few advanced spells that could be beneficial to the Order...to us. Would you be willing to share them, we could use any kind of help we can before these wards fall." Harry said.

"Of course," he answered.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After the meeting and a few practice rounds with the new spells Will had shown them, Ginny had noticed Draco wasn't around and went off to find him. She found him in his bedroom staring out the window and walked over to him.

"Draco?"

He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't hear her.

"Hey, are you ok?" she asked him as she placed a hand on his arm.

He snapped his head over to her at the feel of her touch. "Oh, yeah...yeah, I'm fine."

"You're a horrible liar," she said with a small giggle.

He just smirked at her and then looked back out the window. "It's falling faster than we thought," he said, as he watched the ward crumble before them.

Ginny let out a nervous breath at the sight of it.

Draco turned to her, "Ginny, I love you."

She smiled at his words. "I love you too...are you sure you're ok?"

He grabbed her face in his hands and stared into her eyes and he just shook his head at how much he loved her. "Yeah, I'm good."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Ron, why can't you pick your clothes up off the floor, I mean honestly-"

"We could be a few hours from death and you're worried about a few socks on the floor?" he said with some amusement.

"I'm glad you find it so funny, you know-" She stopped when there was a knock on the door and went over to open it.

"Will?" she said, surprised by his appearance. "What can we do for you?"

"Sorry to intrude, I just wanted to offer something to you," he said.

"What would that be?" Ron asked, a bit of anger in his voice.

"I know a rather powerful full body Protego charm that would be safe to use on you being that you're with child. It does tend to take a while to cast the complete charm, but in the end, it will be worth it. It can last for up to twelve hours...would you allow me to perform it on you?"

Hermione and Ron exchanged a quick look.

"Yes," Ron quickly said, he didn't waste a moment on a chance to secure Hermione and his unborn child's safety. "We would appreciate that...thanks," he said, his tone softening a bit.

"Of course, I'll be back in a bit to perform it," he said with a quick nod before he walked away.

Hermione and Ron stared after him.

"It's so weird how much of a nice guy he is...and so charming really," Hermione said with a slight smile.

Ron looked at her with a snarl. "You're kidding, right?"

She rolled her eyes at his reaction, "Oh, please, you know, I bet he picks his clothes up off the floor." she snapped.

Ron let out a long sigh before he closed the door so nobody else would have to listen to Hermione's rant about his messy ways.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He watched the crumbling ward continue to fall, his nerves were all over the place and e desperately tried to not throw his guts up. He sensed someone walk into the living room and look out the window next to him.

"What is on your mind, Son?" Lucius asked.

Draco turned to him, his eyes lingered on his father a bit longer than normal. "Just...everything, I miss her," he said as he thought of his mother.

Lucius nodded in agreement. "I know, me too." He looked at Draco's face again. "I can tell there is something else troubling you...something specific."

Draco looked at him and nodded.

"You can't say?" Lucius asked him.

Draco shook his head.

Lucius nodded that he understood, he trusted Draco enough to know he would tell him if he wanted to or if he was able to. The last of the wards finally started to fall and Draco saw a crowd of people forming at the edge of them.

"He's here," Lucius said.

Draco went to walk away to let the others know, but before he left, he grabbed his father into a quick hug and left the room. Lucius barely had any time to react to the open affection from his son and gave a small smile at the gesture.

Draco ran back up to his bedroom and ripped the side drawer open and grabbed the letter and the two vials from it. He looked at the potion for a moment before he swallowed it and then wrapped the other one up in the letter and put it in his pocket. He saw Will in the hallway who seemed to be looking for him.

"Did you-"

"Yeah, I took it, I need to find Ginny," he said quickly and then stopped and turned back to him. "Please don't get yourself killed out there...I'm kind of counting on you," he said with a slight sneer.

"I'll do my best, are you sure you don't want me to hold on to the other potion?"

"No, no offense, but I don't trust you...not yet," Draco stated.

"Fair enough," Will said, he completely understood Draco's leeriness to trust him and he had good reason to feel that way. "Well then, good luck."

Draco just gave a nod and then went off in search of Ginny.

He spotted her walking towards him in a hurry.

"Draco, he's here, the wards-"

He pulled her into her bedroom and closed the door and covered her mouth with his hand to stop her from talking.

"Ginny, I need you to listen to me," he said, his eyes instantly filling with tears as he looked at her.

"What is it? Are you ok?" she asked.

He grabbed the letter out of his pocket with the potion wrapped up in it, his hands were shaking so much he could barely keep a firm grip on them.

He pushed them into her hands. "Take these, do not ask me why and do not open them until this time tomorrow."

"What? What do you mean? Why not?"

"Ginny...please-"

"I don't understand-"

"GINNY!" he screamed to get her attention.

She just stared at him as he grabbed her face.

"Listen to me...I am begging you to listen to me. You trust me?"

She nodded, her own tears starting to fall when she saw how distraught Draco had become.

"Good, so trust me on this...a little after this time tomorrow...I need you to open that letter."

She nodded. "But-"

He shook his head, "No, just promise me that you will."

She nodded again.

He just stared at her and pulled her tightly into a hug, he took in her scent and closed his eyes to keep it with him for as long as he could. Ginny could feel his body shaking against hers. He pulled away and kissed her fiercely, tasting her lips to try and calm his nerves. He went to walk out of the room and he quickly turned back to her.

"Lizzie wants to come to our wedding."

"There's a wedding?" She asked.

"Yeah, ours...after all this, because I fuckin love you more than I've ever loved anyone in this world. So you think about it...and you let me know, but you need to open that letter tomorrow for that to happen." he choked out to her through his emotions. "Ok?"

She nodded through her tears.

He looked at her one last time and shook his head. "I miss you already," he whispered out before he took off down the hall.

They all made their way outside where Joe was waiting for the last of the wards to fall; a satisfied look on his face. He had a lot of his men with him so it was apparent he came to end this.

"Finally, now we can play fair," Joe said.

"Fair? How is anything you've done fair?" Ginny hissed at him, taking a step forward as Harry grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"You're still breathing, are you not?" Joe laughed. "I could've killed you a while ago and out of the pure kindness of my heart, I decided to let you suffer a little longer."

"You're a damn psycho," Draco spat.

Joe just continued to laugh at his comment. "What about my dear brother William? Where are you, brother?"

Will walked out of the house and took a few steps towards Joe, everything he had seen in those memories came rushing back into his mind. The way he slaughtered his family, Ginny's attempted murder, Astoria's death...what he did to Ginny in that house. His hand was firmly wrapped around his wand as he approached Joe.

"Don't you dare stand there and call me your brother...after what you've done...what you made me do? YOUR OWN FAMILY JOSEPH!" he yelled. "I saw the memories...you truly are a fuckin monster...and this whole time I trusted you," Will choked out, a mixture of anger and sadness in his tone.

"I did what had to be done, William...somebody had to do something." he shrugged.

"How is killing woman and children part of your plan for justice?" Ethan asked. "Your own nieces and nephew? An innocent unborn child? You have lost your way, Joseph."

He just gave an evil smirk at the both of them. "I suppose you'll die with the rest of them, but first..." He walked over to Narcissa and circled her for a moment before he locked eyes with her. "You've been playing me? How else would those memories have made it here?"

He punched her hard in the face, making everyone on the other side of that ward spring forward before he pulled a knife out that made them all stop.

"No, no, no...I don't think so," he said, holding the blade to her neck. "Let's not relive poor Arthur's death again." He turned back to Narcissa, "You're going to have to make this up to me somehow...I have a perfect idea."

He turned his attention to Draco, "Come here," he said with a nod.

Draco refused.

"Come here, or watch me spill your mother's blood all over this front lawn...and I think by now you know I'm not bluffing," he said, pressing the blade hard against Narcissa's neck as she let out a hiss of pain.

He walked past what was left of the ward and stood a few feet away from his mother.

"This time I really want you to kill him...and something tells me you won't have a choice in the matter," Joe said with a grin as he took control of Narcissa's mind.

Draco watched his mother turn to him, he could tell she was aware of what she was being made to do but had no control over her actions. He locked eyes with her...he thought back to the letter and a bit of fear came over him.

The wards were completely down at this point and Joe walked past them. "I don't want to miss this showdown so if you could all just stay put til its over, that'd be great," he said as he flicked his wand at Bill.

Bill suddenly grabbed Pansy by her hair tightly and held his wand to her throat.

"Nobody move or I'll make him kill her," Joe said.

Harry went to take a step closer to Bill when he roughly pulled her back with him a few steps making her whimper out in pain.

"Alright, carry on...oh, wait, I almost forgot," Joe said, snapping his fingers to one of his men who dragged a wooden box over. "What do you think Draco? That's the box your friends can bury you in after," he laughed. "And you said I wasn't being fair?" Joe said, looking at Ginny with a smile.

Narcissa suddenly whipped her wand at Draco and he quickly blocked her spell. Lucius could tell she wasn't holding back and he feared his son's life. Draco didn't want to hurt his mother, but he had to put up some sort of fight to try and stop her from killing him. He could barely throw anything out between blocking out all of his mother's curses. He put a Protego charm up, but the curse his mother threw went right through it and hit him in the chest making him fly backward.

"NARCISSA! FIGHT IT!" Lucius yelled out to her, he knew how strong her mind was and he hoped she could overcome the control Joe had on her.

She cast a Cruciatus curse on Draco, making him scream out in pain. Tears ran down her face as she heard her sons screams of pain. Lucius couldn't stand it any longer and threw a spell out at his wife that knocked her to the ground.

"Oh, nice, now she can kill you both," Joe said with excitement. "Let's step this up a bit."

Narcissa jumped to her feet and conjured up a ball of energy in her the palms of her hands and threw it at the both of them making them both fly backward.

Ginny went to make a run towards Draco when Joe waved his wand quickly making her stumble backward onto the ground.

Harry helped her up and then looked at Joe, he was very much amused by the scene before him.

"Why don't we just end this already Joe? No more games." Harry said, his face covered in rage.

Joe turned to him and nodded. "You know what Mr. Potter...you're right, let's get to it," he said, waving his hand at Narcissa.

Narcissa watched Draco finally get up from the ground and she locked eyes with him. She lifted her wand at him. "I'm so sorry," she whispered out. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The spell flew from her wand and hit him directly in the chest.

Ginny felt her heart stop, she couldn't breathe, she wasn't even sure if what she was seeing and hearing was real. All she saw was Draco's body hit the ground and heard a blood-curdling scream of agony leave her mouth. She attempted to run to him, but her legs gave out and she fell to her knees.

As soon as Draco was hit with that killing curse complete chaos took place. Will shot a curse at Joe, who shot one back, causing a shockwave of damage that hit the house behind them and blasting a good portion of it to pieces. Lucius ran to Draco and Narcissa's side who was back to her normal state of mind.

"No...You killed him? You killed our son!" he said, as he grabbed her roughly his eyes filling with tears.

She shook her head through her tears as he hung his head and tried to hold in the pain of seeing his son laying dead beside him. Narcissa quickly blocked a spell someone suddenly threw at her making Lucius go into defense mode and shoot a deadly curse at the man.

Narcissa quickly jumped in front of Lucius when another curse came flying at him from behind and she was blasted back into one of the stone walls of the house. Lucius whipped his wand at the man and dragged him over to him and stomped on his throat, crushing his windpipe. He quickly ran to Narcissa, who was unconscious and bleeding from her head pretty badly. He scooped her up in his arms and moved her to a part of the house that wasn't destroyed before he made his way back to his son's lifeless body.

It was an all-out battleground at this point, Will, Ethan, and Harry were all fighting Joe and spells were flying everywhere. Molly was with Lizzie in the house, but half of it was destroyed and was forced to run outside to the battlefield with her. Joe took notice of this and threw a spell at the ground that made it explode in front of all three of them forcing them to take cover. Joe quickly appeared before Molly and Lizzie and pulled out his knife.

"Hey kiddo, you remember your Uncle Joe, don't you?" he asked.

Lizzie latched onto Molly as she held her wand out. "She's just a child, you monster." Molly spat at him.

Hermione shot a spell at Joe that made him stumble back a bit and turn his attention to her instead. "Well, that was stupid of you."

He started dueling Hermione and she was quick to deflect any spells he sent her way. He shot a killing curse at her that missed her by a few inches and she suddenly saw Ron run in out of nowhere and punch Joe across the face.

He spit out a mouthful of blood and his face grew angry, he was about to shoot out a curse when his eyes went back to Lizzie across the way and he apparated out of sight suddenly. He reappeared right in front of Lizzie and Molly and sent Molly flying backward with a spell and then grabbed Lizzie.

Her screams echoed across the lawn and Will's eyes snapped over to her. Harry watched Will's face change, the look in his eyes was one he remembered from when Will was nothing more than the murderer he thought him to be. He knew when it came to his daughter, he would do anything to keep her safe.

Just as Will finally got to Lizzie, Joe had her at knifepoint.

"No, no, brother...I will kill her."

"Dad!" Lizzie cried out.

Will just had this sneer on his face as he shot his brother a deadly glare. "You think you've won? Even when you have your vengeance what happens after? You have completely destroyed your family...you think our parents...or Jessica would be proud of the man you've become? If anything you've disgraced them...there is no more justice or vengeance...its just you becoming a cold-hearted murderer."

Will could tell his words affected Joe more than he thought they would. Joe must have gotten lost in those words because Lizzie turned around and delivered a rather hard punch to his face that gave her enough time to back away as Will lunged at him. He grabbed Joe by the throat and slammed him back onto the ground and repeatedly punched him. Joe found his knife he had dropped and swung it at Will catching his side and making him let out a hiss of pain.

Joe kicked him back off of him and got to his feet and then kicked him hard in the face making Will fall to the ground. Lizzie ran at him before he could continue to hurt her father and Joe backhanded her so hard she flew back and hit the ground hard. Just as Joe went to turn back to Will he felt a blade pierce the side of his stomach. Will pulled the knife out and watched his brother stumble backward in shock that Will had actually stabbed him.

He just let out a light laugh followed by a smirk. "This isn't over," he choked out before he apparated out of sight followed by the rest of his men.

Will went to run over to Lizzie, but he fell back to his knees and grabbed his side. He was bleeding pretty badly but pulled himself back up to help her up off the ground.

"Are you ok, baby?" he asked her, pulling her into a tight hug.

She didn't say anything, he pulled back and followed her gaze over to Draco's body.

Ginny was finally able to run to Draco's side and she pulled his head into her lap. "Draco? Draco wake up, please wake up!" she cried.

She shook his body and lightly slapped his face in a pathetic attempt to wake him up.

"DRACO! Please don't do this to me, please don't leave me!" she sobbed frantically against his body.

She ran her hands through his hair and cupped his face, "Hey...hey...Draco? DRACO!" she screamed.

She was hysterical, she could barely get a full breath in as she sobbed the hardest she ever had in her life. She thought she would die from the physical pain she felt in her heart at the possible thought of Draco being dead. She looked up at Lucius, who was on the other side of his body and then looked at Harry who knelt down beside her.

"Help him, do something," she grabbed Lucius' shirt tightly and pleaded with him to save him.

She turned to Harry, his own tears falling. "Harry, please, help him...HELP HIM!" she screamed at him.

He just shook his head helplessly.

She looked all around to anyone that could help him. "Hermione? I know you can help him, please do something, please hurry," she said.

"I'm sorry Ginny," she whispered through her sobs.

Ginny stood up suddenly and started pacing. She shook her head in disbelief. "No...no, this isn't happening, NOW HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME SAVE HIM!" she screamed.

Harry grabbed her shoulders and looked at her. "Gin, we can't...he's gone."

"No, I can't accept that...I won't," she barely managed to choke out. "THIS CAN'T HAPPEN HARRY, I CAN'T HANDLE THIS HARRY, THIS IS TOO MUCH...I WON'T MAKE IT THROUGH THIS LIFE WITHOUT HIM!" she hysterically cried out in agony, her body slipping from his grasp to the ground as her legs gave out on her.

She crawled over to Draco and grabbed his face once more. "Please don't leave me...I need you, please wake up," she cried to him."DRACO! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" she screamed until her voice turned hoarse.

Harry couldn't beat to watch Ginny's agonizing breakdown any longer, he only ever wanted her to be happy. He saw Hermione run into the house and quickly came back with a vial in her hand and she knelt down beside Ginny.

"Drink this Ginny," Hermione said softly to her.

Ginny just stared at her as her body trembled with emotions and her eyes poured tears. She looked at the vial and saw it looked like a sleeping potion. Ginny took the vial and then gave another look at Draco's face...she couldn't even begin to comprehend the reality before her; all she knew was that she was in so much pain. She didn't give it another thought and drank the potion before she started to feel her body relax and darkness engulf her.

Will had to try and get to Ginny, he had to tell her about the letter, but he felt himself get light headed at how much blood he was losing.

"Dad?" Lizzie called out.

"Liz...Lizzie, tell Ginny..the...letter, Draco...he's..."

"Dad...DAD!" she called out as he fell unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys...I know! Your thoughts? What did you think of this chapter? I suck at writing action, I hope it was conveyed the right way. I hope Ginny's breakdown was as emotional as I made it out to be. I think there will be about two chapters left after this. PLEASE REVIEW!


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys, this is the last chapter before the epilogue. This is a larger chapter, its over 9k words. I am so sad to see this story coming to an end, I have been working on it for almost 2 years.
> 
> If you haven't joined my Facebook group yet you're missing out. I post chapter previews and have open discussions on the story and other pieces I've written so be sure to join.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/  
> Hope you enjoy it!

Ginny opened her eyes and was met with a dark room...her room. Her eyes were burning from how much she cried earlier. She suddenly thought if it was all a bad dream and quickly jumped out of bed and ran down the hall to Draco's bedroom. She hesitated for a moment before she walked inside and saw an empty bed.

"No," she whispered to herself, as tears stung her eyes.

She walked over to the window and saw the destruction outside from earlier and her heart sank. She saw the other side of the house completely destroyed and she knew it was all very real...Draco was dead. She felt so alone right now and months ago that would have been completely fine with her, but falling in love with Draco this past year made her realize how much she didn't want to be without him. That loving and safe feeling he gave her when he was around or had her wrapped in her arms was completely gone. The way he looked at her, the constant smirks he wore that made her love him even more...it was gone...it was all gone.

She made her way down the hall and listened to the silence fill the house. She felt like she would collapse and die right here with how much pain she felt. She didn't realize her legs instinctively took her to the room in front of her as she gave a small knock and slowly opened the door. As soon as she entered the room he sat up in bed and looked at her.

"Ginny?"

The only other person that ever made Ginny feel as safe and loved as Draco did was always Harry. She was always so used to him making everything better for her and she unfairly expected the same this time and he couldn't do it. A part of her wanted to be angry with him for it, but she knew it was out of his control.

He got out of bed and saw the light from the hallway light up her tear-stained face. Ginny's eyes fell on Pansy, who was also sitting up in bed as she gave her a sad look.

She looked back at Harry. "I'm sorry...it just hurts so much, Harry...I don't know what to do with myself," she cried as he grabbed her to him. "Please make me forget this," she cried against his chest before she looked up at him.

"What? Don't say that Gin."

"Please Harry, I can't feel this anymore, it hurts so much...please make me forget it, please-"

"Ginny, stop!" he said forcefully, giving her a hard shake. "I will never do that to you again, it was a mistake the first time and would be an even bigger mistake this time. I know how much this hurts Gin...I do and I'm so sorry," he said as he hugged her tighter to him as she uncontrollably sobbed in his arms.

His eyes locked with Pansy's at Ginny's request and she just hung her head as her own tears fell. It was heartbreaking to watch and to hear the pain that was in Ginny's heart right now.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny walked into the kitchen the next morning and sat at the table, her eyes swollen and sunken in. Her face was as pale as ever and she looked on the verge of tears. Her mother placed some toast in front of her as Hermione and Harry took a seat beside her.

"Gin, I think we should bury Draco today...Harry checked out the Manor to see if we could bury him there, but Joe's men got through those wards also and are crawling all over the place," Hermione gently explained.

Ginny just gave a tearful nod as she looked down the table at Lucius. He just got up and left the room. Ginny looked back down at the toast in front of her and pushed the plate back.

"Ginny?" came Lizzie's voice as she walked over to the table. Ginny turned to look at her."Are you going to be ok?" she asked in a small voice.

Ginny just hung her head. "Probably not," she said before she got up and also left the kitchen.

Harry exchanged a quick look with Hermione before he let out a long sigh. "I don't know what to do or say, I can't believe he's dead," he said, his voice cracking a bit.

Hermione wiped a few of her own tears away as she nodded in agreement. "I better go check on Narcissa and Will, they are both still out. Will's wound was a lot deeper than I thought at first, so I had to give him a blood replenishment potion. Narcissa will be out for at least another couple of hours." she explained before she got up and made her way out of the kitchen.

Harry looked at Lizzie, the side of her face was bruised from where Joe hit her. "Your dad is going to be fine...I promise," he said, as he put his arm around her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny walked up to him and just stared at his still form. She ran her fingers through his blond hair and noticed it wasn't as vibrant as she remembered it to be. She placed her hand against his cheek and felt how cold he was, it made her want to pull him out of the box and hug him to her for warmth.

"We are ready Gin," said Hermione from the doorway.

Ginny watched George and Bill walk over and close the box, her eyes taking in Draco's face one last time before he would be gone from her for good. She closed her eyes tightly as fresh tears poured from them.

"Just do it...I can't handle this," she said running from the room and into hers.

She threw herself on the bed and started sobbing, her eyes fell on the letter Draco gave her sitting on the side table. She sat up and grabbed it and unrolled it to see the potion and the letter. She looked at the back and front of the paper and she became angry...it was blank, there was nothing on it at all.

"I don't understand," she cried out before crumpling the paper up and throwing it across the room.

She walked over to the window and watched them bury Draco from it. Every pile of dirt that filled that hole buried her heart further and further down there with him. She looked away as it became too much to watch when she heard someone give out a loud growl of pain from down the hall.

She walked into the hall and made her way down to Will's bedroom where she saw him trying to sit up. His eyes snapped to hers and he frantically searched the room for the time.

"Gin...Ginny, what time is it?" he asked her.

She ran over to him as he practically fell to the floor trying to get out of bed.

"You need to chill out, you've been unconscious since yesterday evening...you lost a lot of blood and-"

"The letter...did you read it?" he asked her as he grabbed her wrist.

She ripped her hand from his grasp. "I did...there was nothing on it... it's blank," she stated angrily.

He shook his head. "No, nothing will appear on it until the exact time..." he trailed off as he grabbed his side in pain.

Ginny saw his wound was starting to bleed again. "You need to get back in bed," she said, helping him up to sit on the bed.

"Where's Draco?" he asked. "Where's his body?"

"They just buried him," she said, looking away.

"WHAT?" he jumped up, forgetting all pain.

He looked at the clock, there were only about ten minutes left to get that other potion to Draco. He ran into Ginny's bedroom and grabbed the potion as she followed him and picked up the crumpled letter.

"Will, what's going on?" she asked as she glanced down to the letter once more.

Her eyes went wide when words started to appear on it.

Ginny,

Draco isn't dead, you need to give him this potion at the same time today, it will counter the curse and interact with the other potion he drank yesterday. Everything will be explained afterward. Please save him...please don't let him die.

Narcissa

"Draco," she whispered out in shock.

Ginny went running with Will beside her outside, her heart was racing and her body was shaking as she knew the time limit to almost be up.

"STOP!" she screamed out to them as the dirt continued to pile up.

She threw herself to the ground and started viciously digging through the dirt. "HE'S ALIVE, HELP ME!"

"What? Ginny, stop," Harry said, grabbing her back. He saw Will running up to them.

"He isn't dead yet...Narcissa...she gave him...this potion," Will could barely speak with how much pain he was in, but as soon as Lucius heard the words Narcissa and potion he knew there was more to all of this and he pulled his wand out.

"Move out of the way," he said to Ginny as he waved his wand and cleared the rest of the dirt out of the way.

He levitated the box out of the ground and as soon as it hit the ground Harry ripped the lid off. Ginny brought the vial of potion to Draco's lips and carefully poured it into his mouth and then they were all silent. Harry felt Ginny's nails dig into his arm as she latched onto him in anticipation. The look of fear on her face of this failing was gut-wrenching.

After a few moments, nothing still happened, Ginny just looked at Draco's pale face. His lips blue and his eyes sunken in and dark. He looked as dead as ever, there was no way he was waking up. She panicked, maybe she didn't give it to him in time, why wasn't it working? She started crying as she reached forward and gently touched his ice-cold skin.

"Draco?"

Still, nothing happened and she started to break down all over again, how stupid she was to think this would work.

She jumped back suddenly when Draco gasped for air and jolted up out of the box. He started violently coughing as Harry and his dad pulled him out of the box. He had a hard time catching his breath and he could barely move his body. He lay flat on his back as his body fought to function again. Ginny grabbed his face and looked at him, his eyes were glazed over and his body almost seemed to be convulsing.

"Draco...DRACO!" she cried out to him.

He finally stopped and just looked past her face that stared down at her before his head fell to the side and he closed his eyes.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny watched her mother from the doorway of Draco's room as she continued to look him over. It was quite disturbing to watch the way his body came back from the dead. He still looked dead, but Ginny knew him to be alive, she just hoped he would wake up soon and be back to his normal self.

"Hey," came Harry's voice from behind her.

She turned to look at him and just shook her head before she leaned her forehead against his chest and let out a sigh of relief. "I thought I lost him," she said, her voice cracking.

"You did, we just brought him back from dead," he said with a small smirk as he hugged her.

"You think he'll be ok?"

"I hope so...I kind of miss the bloody git."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Draco?" She quickly sat up and immediately grabbed her head in pain. "DRACO!" she called out through the pain.

"Calm down, Narcissa," Lucius said as he ran to her side.

She looked at him, her eyes filled with tears. "Where's Draco? Is he..." she trailed off her hands latching onto him.

"We gave him the potion, he's alive, but he hasn't woken up yet."

"I need to see him...Lucius, I need to see him," she said, her hands trembling from what she had done.

He knew she should rest, but he also knew she wasn't going to let him stop her. He helped her up and she practically ran to his room. When she walked in and saw him she fell into a fit of sobs at his side.

"He looks like he's dead," she said as she checked his pulse. "I thought Joe was going to want me to prove my loyalty to him by killing Draco. When I made up this potion and sent Draco the letter it was supposed to be so the reaction from you all was genuine. I needed him to believe that I was on his side so I could continue passing information." she shook her head at how the plan backfired. "Once Will mentioned the memories Joe knew it was me that passed them along...so he forced me to kill him. Had I known it would turn out that way I would have made sure you all knew the plan...I never meant to..."

Lucius walked over to her and hugged her to him, he missed her so much. He hadn't been able to hold her in his arms since they broke Draco out of Azkaban.

"You did what you thought would be the best plan and I will always trust you to make the best decision," he said to her.

She nodded at his words before he pulled her to him again...it was so nice to have his Narcissa back.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Knock, knock," Ginny called out as she opened Will's door and popped her head in. "Ouch, that still looks pretty bad," she said, gesturing towards his wound.

"Yeah, it was a lot deeper than I thought, but I think I'll pull through," he said attempting to change his own bandage.

Ginny walked over and took over for him. "Thank you, by the way...for making sure we got to Draco in time. I don't know what I would've done if..."

He looked at her for a few moments. "You're welcome, I owe you all a lot more than that," he said looking away.

She thought back to Draco's conversation with her that night in the kitchen about Will's feelings for her, she couldn't help but give a small laugh at the crazy idea of that being true.

"What's so funny?" he asked her.

She looked at him with an amused smile. "It's nothing, it's just...Draco had this crazy idea that...you were in love with me," she said with a small laugh.

Will just laughed at her comment. "That would be quite awkward don't you think?"

She nodded, "Yes, just a little," she giggled. "You didn't deny it though," she teased.

He just looked at her. "I know."

Her eyes snapped up at his comment, she just stared at him for a moment before his eyes traveled over her shoulder. "Mrs. Malfoy, it's nice to see you awake."

Ginny turned around to see Narcissa standing in the doorway.

"Hello Ginny," she said with a smile.

Ginny wasn't sure why, but she didn't realize how much she missed her now that she was finally here. She quickly walked over and threw her arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Damn, I've missed you," she muffled out against her.

Narcissa was a bit surprised by Ginny's greeting and couldn't help the smile that formed on her face as she hugged her back.

She looked at Will. "I brought you a rapid healing potion, that wound should be a lot better by tomorrow if you drink that," she said, handing him a vial.

"Thank you," he said as he quickly drank it.

"Hey guys, can I see you all downstairs for a minute?" Harry asked, poking his head in from the hall.

Ginny made her way downstairs and sat in her usual spot at the table and looked to her side where Draco normally sat. A small frown formed on her face as she thought about how close she came to losing him.

"So first off, Narcissa...welcome back," Harry said with a smile.

"Thank you, it's good to be back, I've actually missed you all," she jokingly drawled.

"Now that the wards are completely down, we are constantly in danger, is there any way you can put them back up?" he asked her.

"I can, however, the charm that was used to destroy the one before also had a disablement charm on it."

"How long will that disabling charm last?"

"Three days I'm afraid."

There was a wave of concern that washed over the room.

"Well, then we will have to make sure we have people keeping watch until we decide what our next move is," Harry explained. "Will, how bad do you think Joe's injury is?"

"Pretty significant, he will definitely need an advanced healer to pull through it."

"And I don't recall there beingn one amongst any of his followers so he'll have to seek one?" Narcissa said and looked at Will to confirm.

"Yes, that's true."

"Ok, so for all we know, Joe could be done for but we can't take any chances. Ok, one other thing... Draco, when will he wake up? Is there any side effects of this potion?"

Narcissa was quiet for a moment. "I'm not sure, I just had to think of something quick because I knew what was coming... it's never been used before. I tested it on one of Joe's men, but only long enough to make sure it reversed the spell." she explained, locking eyes with Ginny, who gave her a small smile of support in her decision.

"Well, let's hope everything turns out alright in the end."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny's eyes snapped open as she woke from the nightmare she just had. She let out a shaky breath and pulled herself out of bed. She walked into the hall and thought about going to check on Draco, but every time she saw him it made her cry at how awful he looked. She made her way downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of water. She thought back to her and Will's conversation earlier and she just shook her head at the whole thing. She walked into the other room where half of the house was still destroyed and watched the breeze from outside blow the sheets they had hanging up until the rest of it was repaired.

She walked over to the window and looked outside at the moon lighting up the front lawn. Her head snapped around when she thought she heard someone behind her. She looked around the room and didn't see anyone and then she turned back to the window to see who was patrolling the perimeter. She didn't see anyone at first and she walked back into the kitchen to look out of a different window. She saw Charlie on the ground outside and her eyes went wide.

"CHARLIE!" she yelled out as she went to go run out to him.

As she went to run, she felt someone grab her and throw her up against the wall. She felt the person backhand her and then went to punch her when she quickly ducked out of the way. She threw herself on top of him to get him away from her and quickly scrambled to get up and make a run for it. She felt a spell hit the wall right above her head as she ran into the kitchen. She knew he was close behind her and felt him push her forward into the kitchen table. She turned over on her back and saw it was one of Joe's men.

His hands were around her throat as he started choking her. The weight of his body against hers had her pinned tightly down. Her hands reached for anything around and felt her glass of water as she brought it up and slammed it against his head as it busted into pieces. She kicked him hard in the face and saw him fall to the floor. Just as he fell to the ground another man came out of nowhere and before he could lay a hand on Ginny someone tackled him to the ground.

The person delivered numerous punches to the man's face until he fell still. Ginny soon realized it was Draco as he stood up and faced her. He was breathing heavily and he still looked like death.

"So did you think about it? The wedding?" he asked her with a smirk.

She couldn't help the tears that fell down her face and the wide smile that formed before she ran towards him and wrapped her arms around him.

Draco felt her body shaking in his arms, he felt so bad to put her through all of this. Honestly, he wasn't even sure if it would work and it scared him to death to do it in the first place. He was woried Ginny would never see him again, but he was willing to die if it meant they would have the upper hand in taking down Joe.

"I thought you were dead," she cried against him.

Harry suddenly came running in from outside, he was out of breath and a bit beat up. "You guys ok? Oh, hey Draco, nice to see you're up...you look like shit though," he teased.

Draco went to say something sarcastic when Ginny talked over him. "Is Charlie ok?"

"Yeah, he was only hit with a knockout jinx, I think this was the last of them... there were about ten of them," he explained, wiping his bloody nose off on his sleeve.

Ginny walked over to him and sat him down before she grabbed a wet rag from the sink and handed it to him. "I'm going to go check on Lizzie and the others," she said.

She went to walk away when she turned around and grabbed Draco into a long kiss one last time before she turned and made her way down the hall.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Are you still awake?" Ginny asked as she popped her head in Draco's bedroom.

"Mmhmm," he mumbled as she walked over to him. "How's the kid?" he asked as she crawled into his bed with him.

"She's good...she's tough. What about you?" she asked, propping her head up on her hand as she looked at him.

"It was quite exhausting to come to your rescue," he joked, his voice a bit hoarse.

Ginny could tell he wasn't back to himself yet, his body was still adjusting to the potion.

"I look like a fuckin zombie," he moaned out as he turned on his side to face her, bringing the covers up to his face and he snuggled into them.

He opened his eyes to look at her...she was gorgeous he thought to himself. He lifted the covers a bit for her to scoot closer to him and she did. She laid right in his arms against his chest and he cuddled her up in his blanket.

"You kind of smell like one too," she laughed.

He just smirked at her comment before he fell asleep again. Ginny just watched him, she couldn't believe she was being held in his arms when he was just dead and being buried less than twenty-four hours ago. The mere memory of it made her emotional and now being here laying next to him made everything ok.

She knew there was no way she would fall asleep again tonight after the attack, but just being able to watch Draco sleep meant so much. She lifted her head to take one last look out the window where she saw Bill and Harry walking the perimeter again and let out a soft sigh.

"I love you Draco Malfoy...and yes...I will marry you," she whispered at his sleeping form before she placed a kiss on his forehead.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He opened his eyes a crack when he felt someone's eyes on him. He was met with a pair of hazel eyes staring at him and he rolled over to face the wall.

"Go away," he groaned into the pillow.

"You look like shit," Lizzie said, jumping on the bed and plopping down hard.

"Language kid." Draco snapped.

"You curse all the time," she said in defense.

He just looked at her, "You're right, fuck it. So why are you bothering me again?"

"We are leaving today," she said,

"What do you mean?"

"During the meeting last night they said it wasn't safe to stay here anymore. I think they are going after my uncle."

He looked at the clock and then got confused as to when he was last awake. He quickly got up and went to walk into the hall when there was a knock on his door.

"Oh, hey... you're awake," Ginny said with a smile.

He noticed her eye was bruised and her forearm was bandaged up.

"What happened? How long was I sleeping? Weren't you just in bed with me last night?"

"That was the night before, you've been out since...quite romantic of you to just wake up that night to save me, could've used you last night." She said gesturing to her injuries. "I'm fine, but you look a lot better than you did the other day, how do you feel?" she asked.

"Ok, I think, a bit tired and kind of confused, but it's better than being dead," he said with a shrug. "Lizzie said we are leaving?"

"Yeah, Will injured Joe that day and he's only been sending his men here to try and off us in some pathetic attempt. We are guessing he's hurt pretty bad since he hasn't shown up yet so we are going to end this."

He just nodded and then looked at her. "Are you ready for that?"

She nodded. "Are you?"

"Fuck, yes."

"LANGUAGE!" Lizzie yelled and then ran from the room before Draco could make a comeback.

He went to go after her when Ginny gently placed her hands on his shoulders to keep him put. "You two, I swear," she giggled.

"She started it, like always," he said.

She snaked her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his which made him forget about the way Lizzie constantly managed to get under his skin. After a few moments, Narcissa came to the doorway and her eyes fell on her son.

"Lizzie said you were awake," she said before she grabbed him into her arms tightly. "Oh, Draco, I'm so sorry," she cried as she held him close to her. "I was so scared it wouldn't work...and then..."

"Mother, it's ok, I'm ok," he said, wiping his mother's tears away. "Honestly, the only reason I even went along with it was because I knew it was you who was doing it," he said with a smirk. "You kind of kick arse went it comes to that shit," he shrugged before she pulled him back into a hug.

"Now that you are finally in a decent state can you do us all a favor and take a damn shower?" Ginny teased.

"Gladly," he said as they left the room.

He followed Ginny out into the hall and grabbed her hand to pull her in for one more kiss before she went downstairs. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said with a smile as she locked eyes with him for a few moments before she walked away.

Draco went to go back into his room when his eyes fell on Will's bedroom down the hall. He made his way over to it and gave a quick knock on the door.

"Draco! Glad you're awake...everyone was worried about you," he said, as he turned his attention back to some map he was drawing out.

"What's that?"

"I just thought I'd try and map out the place Joseph and his men are hiding out at. It could possibly give us a better plan when we get there." Will explained.

Draco just nodded at his words. "So, listen... just wanted to say thanks for making sure everything followed through ok."

Will just gave a small smile at this. "You're welcome, Draco, however, I barely made it in time. I was out for most of the first twenty-four hours...I managed to update Ginny in about ten minutes." he said with a smirk.

"Fuck," he said to himself at realizing how close he was to being dead for good.

"I guess it all worked out in the end, yes?"

Draco just slowly nodded before he walked back down to his room and got ready to take a long overdue shower.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"We should be about a mile away, you still have that map right, Will?" Harry asked.

"Sure do," he said, handing it to Harry.

He looked it over as they continued to walk. "According to this there's only one way in and out...that could be tricky."

"Unless we draw Joe out," Hermione suggested, taking the map from Harry.

Harry and Hermione continued to look over the layout Will had drawn up for them. Ginny was walking beside Will and noticed he was deep in thought.

"You're thinking about Lizzie?" she asked, as she looked ahead to see her pestering Draco again.

He just smirked. "Yeah, she'll stay back a bit with Hermione and Molly...just hope she stays safe."

"She will be...I promise," she said with a smile.

"That's a big promise," he said with a light chuckle.

They were both quiet for a moment.

"Listen, Will, about our conversation-"

"I'm going to stop you there Ginny," he said, cutting her off. "That's all it was...just a conversation, I wasn't waiting for anything or thinking anything more of it. You're a pretty awesome person...it's kind of hard NOT to fall in love with you. Technically...this is really your fault." he said with a smirk.

She just gave a light giggle at his words.

"I'd say maybe we could at least be friends, but our relationship is just rather complicated and awkward."

She gave him an amused smile. "Very much so...but you never know," she said before she started walking ahead of him.

Draco watched Ginny ahead of him, she had told him about the conversation between her and Will that took place. He wasn't surprised at all and in some weird way as awkward as it was for Will to have those feelings towards her, it made him think that Ginny would be more protected. He looked at his parents beside him getting lost in conversation when he decided to interject.

"So listen," he started, making them both turn to look at him.

"Yes, Draco?" his mother asked.

He looked at Ginny walking ahead of him again as she started laughing at something Luna told her.

"You guys like Ginny?"

"That's an odd question, she kind of forced her way into our hearts I'm afraid," Narcissa sighed playfully. "Why?"

"Good, because...I sort of in a way...asked her to marry me," he said with some hesitation.

Draco didn't really care what his parents thought of Ginny, he would be marrying her regardless, but he was concerned a bit about how they would be towards him. He knew they had all been through a lot together, but after Joe was dead, it would be back to their lives from before. In his past, he knew there would be no way his parents would ever be alright with him marrying a Weasley.

Lucius and Narcissa just looked at each other and then to Draco.

"Honestly Draco, you'd be a fool if you didn't ask her," Lucius drawled.

Draco couldn't help the smile that crept across his face, he couldn't help but be proud of his parents for coming around in such a way. He gave another glance at Ginny up ahead and felt this overwhelming excitement at the thought of starting a future with her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"There's barely any guards outside this place, is that normal?" Bill asked Will.

"No, there's normally at least two outside the entrance...perhaps Joseph is worse off than we thought. Maybe most of his followers have cut ties." he suggested.

"There's one guy coming around the side over there...we can easily take him down...I guess we just slowly work our way inside?" Pansy said.

"There's enough of us to give it a shot," Harry said.

They all nodded in agreement and got ready to make their way towards the large mansion.

Will turned to Lizzie. "Come here, sweetheart," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the side. "I need you to stay here with Molly and Hermione."

"I want to help Dad," she said, a look of disappointment on her face.

"You will be helping by staying put," he said to her with a smile.

She nodded. "Dad...am I going to see you again? Don't die on me in there," she said with tears in her eyes.

"I won't, I will come back to you, Lizzie," he reassured her before he grabbed her into a hug.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"You ready for this?" Draco asked her.

"In a weird way...yes, I just want this to be over with already," Ginny said with a heavy sigh. "What about you?"

"Well, there's not really much else that he can do to me... I mean, I've already been killed and then brought back from the dead, so...I'm pretty ready," he joked.

She just gave him a small smile before she locked eyes with him. "Did you ever eat those muffins I left in your bedroom?" she asked suddenly.

Draco just gave her a wide smile as he knew exactly what she was talking about. "Oh hell yes, banana nut is my favorite too," he said as he thought back to that day that Ginny Weasley ended up in his bedroom and changed his life.

"Good," she said before she pressed her lips against his.

"Do you think there's any chance I could fuck you real quick against this tree before we go in there?" he joked as she playfully punched him in the arm.

"No!" she laughed. "Besides, there will be plenty of time for that later because we are BOTH going to make it out of there, right?"

He stared at her. "Yeah...definitely."

"Alright, you guys ready?" Harry asked everyone.

They all nodded and then they strategically made their way towards the mansion. Harry had his back against the side of the house as the one guard came walking around and quickly took him down with a knockout jinx. They all made their way to the front doors and were waiting for Harry to open them when he stopped and looked at them all.

"Something isn't right...this is too easy. I think we should-"

He was cut off by an explosion right near the front door that sent them all flying backward. Harry opened his eyes to see Ginny standing in front of him. It looked like she was screaming his name but all he heard was a loud ringing until finally, her voice cut through.

"Harry! Are you ok?" she asked him frantically as she looked at the blood pouring from his head.

"I'm ok," he said as she helped him up. "George, get Bill back to your mum," he ordered once he saw Bill was hurt pretty bad.

Luna tried to pull herself up when she realized her leg was bleeding pretty bad and she almost fell when Will caught her. He instinctively threw her arm around his neck and helped her take cover somewhere aside.

"I came a bit more prepared this time," he told her as he pulled out a vial from his pocket. "This is going to sting...a lot," he warned as she nodded that she understood.

He poured it over her leg and she instantly let out a growl of pain. The bleeding soon slowed down and her pain subsided a great deal.

"Thank you," she said with a small smile.

He gave her a smile in return before he took out another vial out and tossed it over to Harry for his head. "He must have known we were coming," he said to him.

"Well, it's definitely known now that we're here," he said, handing the vial to Ginny so she could pour it on his wound. "Let's go," he said, before they all made their way inside the house.

As soon as they entered the house there were men everywhere. The place was so enormous they found it hard to stay together as spells started flying all about. Ginny could feel how close each spell came to hitting her as she quickly ran to take cover on the side of the stone staircase. She saw Lucius run past her and yank her shirt quickly to pull her out of the way of a curse that exploded the wall behind her.

"Thanks," she quickly said before they both went running down one of the side halls.

Pansy was running from the man who was close on her heels when she realized the hallway, she went down was a dead end. She could hear the man behind her laugh as he realized her dilemma when she suddenly ran up the wall and did a back flip off of it and landed on the other side of him. He turned to face her when she lifted her leg and kicked him hard in the chest back against the wall. She pulled out her wand and cast an Incendio charm on him that engulfed him in flames.

Draco came running up behind her and pushed her into one of the side rooms as a spell flew past them blasting a hole in the wall.

He pushed her so hard he fell on top of her. "Sorry, I was trying not get killed," he said, helping her back up.

"Why not? You should be used to it by now," she smirked before they both walked out into the demolished hallway.

They took a few steps when another guy came at them, but instead threw a spell at the floor, making it collapse and they both fell to a lower level under the house.

Above them, Harry and Narcissa went down another side hall and took down a few men themselves. Narcissa suddenly held her hand up for him to stop as she poked her head around the corner.

She let out a hard sigh, "At first glance, there are at least eight men down there...this is crazy, we've barely gotten through the first floor and have encountered over two dozen men so far."

"Let's just make a run for the staircase and fight them off as we come, we only need to get to Joe. Will said most of his men will stand down once they know their leader is done for." Harry said.

She nodded and counted to three before they took off in the opposite direction of the men and ran up the staircase. They felt spells hitting each step they ran up and just kept going. They kept running down a large hallway when they almost ran right into Will, Luna, and Ron.

"Where's everyone else?" Harry asked them.

"We were separated once curses started flying," Will said.

They suddenly felt the house start to shake.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Ron asked.

"This place has taken too much damage, we need to get out of here before the whole thing comes down," Will said, looking out of a nearby window to see just how much damage the mansion had taken.

"HARRY!" yelled Ginny from down the hall.

Her and Lucius went running towards them when another rumble throughout the house had them all on the floor. Ginny and Lucius slid down the floor that collapsed to the lower level and she quickly scrambled to her feet to get up. She grabbed Lucius by the shirt and yanked him up as she realized a piece of the wood from the broken floorboards pierced his side.

"Keep going, I'm fine," he growled out in pain as they continued to make a run from the collapsing floor beneath their feet.

They ran as fast as they could and soon Ginny felt the ground fall from under her feet and she started falling. Lucius had managed to grab her hand before she fell and tried to pull her up. She felt her hand slipping from his grasp as he kept a firm hold on the crumbling wall above to keep himself from also falling. Ginny saw there was some water beneath her in the lower level and looked back up at Lucius before she slipped through his grasp and fell into the water below.

It wasn't as deep as she thought it was and hit the ground harder than she thought she would. She also didn't expect the pile of rubble that followed after her as she fell and quickly covered her head. She let out a loud scream as she felt her leg get crushed by a piece of falling debris and desperately searched for her wand. She realized she must have dropped it in the water when she fell and felt all around with her hands to find it. She looked to see if Lucius was still in view, but the falling debris completely blocked him from getting to her.

She looked around the room she was in, it looked like there was a dungeon under the house and it was just as large as the house above her. She had to find her wand or some other way out because there was no way anyone would find her down here. She suddenly felt the house start to shift again as it grew more unstable and realized the water was starting to rise.

"Shit, shit, shit...think of something you twit," she said to herself in a state of panic.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"PANSY?" he yelled out.

"I'M FINE, I'M OK!" she yelled back.

"STAND BACK!" he called out to her.

Draco whipped his wand and blasted a path through the fallen rubble and found her on the other side holding her shoulder.

"We need to get out of these dungeons or this entire house is going to come down on us," he said, leading the way through the rising water.

They saw a hole in the floor above them up ahead and quickly ran towards it.

Ginny desperately tried to lift the wooden beam that pinned her leg against the fallen rubble. She also tried to keep her head above water as it continued to rise. She heard voices coming towards her and she feared it was Joe's men. She quickly scooted down to hide herself behind the pile of stone surrounding her.

"Here, I'll boost you up," Draco said as Pansy stepped into his cupped hands and he boosted her up.

She let out a pained scream as she fought against the pain in her shoulder to pull herself up.

The sound of Draco's voice hit Ginny's ears and she quickly looked around the rubble to see him standing there.

"Draco? DRACO!" she yelled out to him.

He heard her call his name but it took a second to realize it was her. "Ginny?" he ran over to her.

"My leg, it's pinned, I've lost my wand," she said, as she grew frantic as the water was now up to her neck since she wasn't able to fully stand up.

He grabbed her face in his hands and looked at her. "Hey, calm down, I'm going to get you out of here, ok?"

She looked into his eyes and nodded.

"PANSY! I NEED YOU!" he called up to her as she quickly jumped back down to assist him.

Pansy quickly waved her wand to start clearing the debris causing it to shift and Ginny felt her body slip under the water. Draco quickly waved his wand and raised the beam just enough so he could pull Ginny free. She quickly resurfaced and gasped for air as Draco threw her arm around his neck and grabbed her around the waist and dragged her away from the now shifting pile of rubble. He helped Pansy up to the floor above and then Ginny before he pulled himself up with them.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hermione watched the house before her start to crumble to the ground.

She turned to Lizzie and Molly, "I have to go help them, Lizzie, stay here with Mrs. Weasley ok?"

Lizzie nodded before Hermione went running off towards the falling mansion. She saw Harry crawling through one of the many holes in the sides of the building and quickly ran to his side where soon most of the others were.

"Hermione, is Ginny and the others out here?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Nobody yet, but this place is getting ready to completely fall to the ground."

Narcissa saw Lucius run over to them, her eyes quickly took in his wound. "Lucius, where is Draco, Ginny, and Pansy?" she asked as she waved her wand to slow down the bleeding.

"I haven't seen Draco and Pansy, but Ginny fell below, I couldn't get to her from where I was," he said through a growl of pain as Narcissa continued to address his wound as quickly and as painlessly as possible.

"There, they're over there," Luna quickly said, pointing to the other side of the mansion.

"Hermione, have you seen Joseph at all?" Will asked her.

"No, Ethan is still on the backside of the house and hasn't given a sign yet. Do you think he's even here?"

"Yeah, I do."

Across the way, Ginny ran as fast as her wounded leg would carry her, she pushed past the pain and just kept running. They felt the spells behind them start to get close and she knew they wouldn't be able to outrun all of them. She heard Pansy let out a painful gasp as she got hit with a spell and fell to the ground, making her and Draco stop to help her. Ginny saw a spell fly right at her and Draco blocked it just in time. She exchanged a quick thank you to him before Draco helped Pansy back up to her feet.

They saw the others across the way and they all started running towards each other. Narcissa grabbed Draco into a tight hug and quickly looked him over. Ginny threw her arms around Harry as he looked so relieved to see her.

"Are you..." he trailed off and closed his eyes tightly as he lost track of what he was saying.

"Harry, are you ok?" Ginny asked, looking at him.

He opened his eyes and locked them with hers for a moment...she backed away from him. If there was one thing she was most familiar with when it came to Harry, it was those amazing eyes he had, but something was different in them.

"No...he's in there...isn't he?" she said to him as she grew angry.

Harry quickly whipped his wand behind him, causing the ground to explode in front of the others forcing them to take cover. Ginny quickly went to make a run for it but saw Harry quickly throw a spell at her that once again Draco blocked.

"Pansy, help her over to Mrs. Weasley...I'll hold off Potter," he said as he turned back to Harry. "Harry, are you in there at all?" he asked him, trying desperately to reach him.

Harry and Draco started throwing spells at each other, each spell Harry threw was deadly while Draco just tried to disarm him or knock him out until the Imperius curse was lifted. The house behind them suddenly completely fell to the ground, causing debris and a cloud of smoke to fill the air. Joe's men were suddenly crawling all over the place, but Narcissa made it a point to get to Draco and Harry before any of Joe's men got to them first.

"Sorry about this Potter," she mumbled to herself. "CRUCIO!" she yelled out as she pointed her wand at Harry.

Draco just stood there and watched him fall to the ground in pain, his body twitching and thrashing about as a painful scream escaped his mouth. His mother finally lifted the curse and they both ran to his side.

"What the bloody fuck?" Harry asked through his heavy breathing.

"There's the Potter we all know and love," Narcissa said with a smirk. "Sorry, I had to break that Imperius curse on you somehow so I tried the first thing I could think of."

"Um, thanks?" Harry said sarcastically as Narcissa and Draco helped him up.

Ginny and Pansy came running over to where Molly and Lizzie were and Ginny saw her mother was unconscious, her head bleeding.

"Mum? MUM!" she screamed at her. "Where's Lizzie? WHERE IS SHE?" she screamed at Pansy.

They both looked around frantically for her until they finally spotted her across the field walking towards the very person they were trying to keep her from...Joe. Ginny took off running towards her, forgetting all pain in her leg and the fact that she had no wand.

"LIZZIE, STOP!" she screamed out.

Pansy was right beside her but was soon sidetracked by someone attacking them. "Go, I got this," she said to Ginny.

Will heard his daughter's name being called and he scanned the entire battlefield for her until his eyes caught sight of her. His heart was racing, his feet barreled through the crowd of men throwing spells at him...he had to get to her. He felt a spell hit him and he fell to the ground, but quickly picked himself up. His wand was snapped in half and he angrily threw it aside before he pushed himself harder and faster to get to her.

Ginny could see Joe up ahead, the amusing smile he was wearing was unsettling. She knew he must have Lizzie under the Imperius curse, there was no way she would willingly walk right up to him. She saw him pull out a knife and throw it right at that little girl, the girl she had grown to care for since she first laid eyes on her. Ginny quickly pushed her out of the way and then felt the blade hit her.

"GINNY!" Lizzie screamed out, as the daze she was in subsided.

Ginny looked at the blade impaled in her shoulder and dropped to her knees.

Draco swore he felt that blade slice through his heart as he watched it hit Ginny, he couldn't carry himself faster to her side as his eyes filled with tears of worry and anger.

"Oh, Ginny...you are so foolish," Joe said to her.

He was pale and looked close to death himself, she could tell he had an inexperienced healer tend to his wound. It was still bleeding and from the sickly look on his face, she could tell it was severely infected, how the man was standing still was a mystery to her.

"I am going to enjoy killing you, you have caused my entire plan to fail," he said walking towards her.

She grabbed the knife out of her shoulder and let out a painful scream. She threw it at him, but he quickly deflected it as he laughed at her pathetic attempt to harm him. He lifted his wand at her and threw a spell at her as she closed her eyes and waited for the deadly blow. She heard it hit, but it wasn't her and she slowly opened her eyes to see Will in front of her.

She let out a relieved smile as he blocked it just in time, but her smile soon faded when she saw him move his hand away from his chest and it was covered in blood.

"No...no," she breathed out, as she watched the blood start to drip from his mouth. "Will?" she called his name as his body started falling limp in her arms and she laid him down. "NO!" she screamed.

Joe was just laughing.

"DAD!" Lizzie screamed, tears pouring down her face.

Ginny wasn't sure how she managed to do it, but she ran so quickly at Joe he didn't even expect it and soon she was on top of him. He punched her hard in the face, but she barely reacted to it. He went to shoot a spell at her when she pressed hard on his wound causing him to let out a loud scream. He grabbed another knife from his pocket and swung it at her, causing her to jump back. He swiped it again and caught her cheek and then suddenly he was on the ground again. This time it was Draco on him and he wasn't giving Joe an opening at all as he pummeled the guy half to death. Draco stood up over him, he was breathing heavy...this was it, Joe was at his most vulnerable. Joe pulled himself up as he stumbled about, spitting mouthfuls of blood out.

"Don't you want to kill me Draco?" he said with an amused smile.

Draco just stared at him and then he looked at Harry and Ginny, the three of them each wanted to kill him so badly, but now that it was finally here...something stopped them.

Ginny grabbed the knife off the floor and walked up to Joe. She looked at Draco and thought of all the pain he endured over these past few years...Astoria, Blaise...how he tried to kill himself from all of it. She thought of how she almost just lost him for good the other day and then she looked at Harry. What he did for her...how much he loved her...how he lost it all and still managed every single day to keep her safe and tried to keep her happy. She looked at Lizzie, her tear-stained face as she cried over her dying father who was forced to do the most unthinkable things. She turned back to Joe, her mind on her daughter...her father...the memory of that day when she was raped.

"I don't want to be like you...not one bit," she cried as she held the knife to his throat. "Killing you would do that...and I just can't fuckin do it," she sobbed.

Joe just smirked at her. "I knew you couldn't."

Harry walked up beside her and took the knife from her. "She may not be able to...but I have no problem with it," he said before he stabbed him in the chest.

He just watched Joe fall to the ground, his body finally giving in to the death that he deserved.

"DAD, PLEASE WAKE UP!" Lizzie cried out. "Please don't leave me...y-you said you would come b-back to me."

Narcissa was quickly at Will's side and tried everything she could to try and save him.

Ginny just looked at him as she felt Draco pull her into his arms. "He saved my life," she said through her tears.

Draco just held her tighter, he knew why Will sacrificed himself for her. He would've done the same thing without question for her. He felt Ginny's body start to fall limp as her stab wound finally caught up to her now that her adrenaline was wearing off.

"Ginny?"

She suddenly collapsed in his arms and was engulfed in blackness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is? Your thoughts on this final showdown? I would love to hear from my silent readers who haven't commented in the past? The epilogue will be up in just a few days =D


	37. Chapter 37: Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is guys, I am so sad to see this story come to an end. I've spent so much time on it. I really hope you guys have enjoyed it so far and I hope this epilogue leaves you with a smile on your face.
> 
> The Epilogue is not as long as a normal chapter so its only about 4k words.
> 
> If you haven't joined my Facebook group page yet, here is the link.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/1668345516552603/
> 
> I will continue to keep you guys updated on my latest fics and we can discuss any of my stories you guys have read.
> 
> Here it is, hope you enjoy!

A smile stretched across her face as a gentle breeze blew past her. She loved this place, it was perfect. She turned her attention towards the beach ahead of her and listened to the waves crashing ashore, the smell of the ocean filling her nose. She never thought she could feel so happy...she never thought she would after everything that happened.

"Oh, sweetheart, you look so beautiful," Molly said, walking up to Ginny and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Thanks, Mum," she turned to Eddy. "And thanks Eddy for letting us use this place for the wedding."

"Girl, please, for you...anything." he said, waving his hand at her. "Where is the groom by the way?"

"Probably admiring himself in a mirror somewhere." came Lizzie's voice.

Ginny turned to see her running up to her and felt her throw her arms around her waist and hug her tightly.

Ginny squatted down to her level with a warm smile. "Hey you, how are you holding up?"

Lizzie just smiled back and gave a small nod.

"Are you ready for your first year at Hogwarts? School is just a few weeks away."

"Yes! I need space from them both, they are in that lovey dovey stage and its sickening," she said, pretending to vomit.

Ginny just gave a small laugh. "So he's doing better? Your dad?"

Lizzie just smiled at her. "Ask him yourself," she said, nodding behind her.

Ginny's eyes looked over her shoulder to see Will and Luna getting into a light hearted argument about something.

"You came?" Ginny said with a smile.

Will just smiled back at her. "I did, almost three months in the hospital and then three months of recovery and therapy later and here I am." he said.

Ginny just walked over to him and pulled him into a hug. "I'm so glad you came," she softly said.

"Me too."

"Hey, Will, good to see you, does this mean you're finally coming back to work? It's been six months now." Harry asked, giving him a light slap on the back.

"Yes, I am more than ready to come back," he said.

"Two more weeks the doctor said." Luna chimed in.

"Nonsense, I'll be back on Monday." Will said.

"When he says Monday he really means the following one," Luna said sweetly before giving him a slight glare.

Will and Harry looked at each other.

"So, yeah, two weeks," Will said, as he watched Harry and Ginny start to laugh.

"Hey, Harry, can I talk to you for a moment?" Ginny asked.

"Of course," he said as he followed her down to the beach.

They walked for a few minutes enjoying the beauty of Pristine Point.

"You look gorgeous, Ginny," he said to her.

She just smiled at his comment before she stopped walking and turned to face him. She grabbed both of his hands and looked up into his eyes.

"I just wanted to say thank you...for everything."

"Gin, you don't have to-"

"I do...I want to. Harry, what happened to us...to our relationship, it wasn't fair. Today of all days I just keep thinking about what should've been. I mean...I love Draco so damn much, I can't even imagine not having him in my life, but then I still think...it wasn't suppose to be this way," she said, as she became teary-eyed.

He gently grabbed her face. "Ginny, it WAS supposed to end up like this...you were always supposed to end up happy, that's all I've ever wanted for you. Seeing you happy has made me happy."

"You are the most incredible person I have ever known, I can't thank you enough for doing what you've done for me. The protection and the love that you have shown me is overwhelming, I can't ever repay you in the same way. I will try my hardest, but...I can only hope to be half the person you are one day Harry," she choked out before she pulled him tightly into a hug.

"I love you, Gin." he said, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Come on, I think if Draco doesn't marry you soon he's going to explode." he laughed.

"Will you walk me down the aisle?" she asked.

He locked eyes with her and just smiled at her her request. "Of course."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Stop pacing, why are you pacing?" Lucius drawled. "You can't possibly be nervous, you've been talking about today for months."

" Ha.Ha," Draco drawled back. "I'm just impatient."

"Yeah, you're impatient now, wait until you've been together for years then you'll-"

"Then you'll what...Lucius?" Narcissa cut him off with a deadly glare.

"Um, then you'll realize how special she really is," he said, flashing his wife a forced smile.

Draco just shook his head. "Anyway, any advice?"

"Yes, stop pacing before I kill you again. You're driving me nuts," Narcissa snapped getting up and pouring herself another glass of wine.

"Well, well, look at this guy, I bet you want to marry yourself, don't you?" Lizzie teased, walking up to Draco.

"And here I thought I would actually enjoy my wedding day," he said with a sneer at her entrance.

"William, you made it." Narcissa said as he approached them.

"Ah, my savior, I did indeed," he said, sitting down.

"How was the last surgery? Did they give you enough pain relief potion because I have-"

"I'm am fine Mrs. Malfoy, thank you. I really appreciate the concern, but between you, Luna and the MediWizard that comes by the house three times a week, I'm sick of talking about my near death experience."

Narcissa held her hands up in defeat to show she would back off. Ron came walking up to them all and took a seat next to Will.

"Ron, are we officially a father yet?" Will asked.

He gave a long sigh, "Not yet, any day now, she's rather moody lately, so the sooner the better." he said.

"How's Ginny? Did you see her?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, she said she doesn't think she could go through with the wedding." Lizzie said.

"What she said that?" Draco asked, his heart starting to race.

"Yeah, she was crying and everything." Lizzie continued, her face completely serious.

"Relax Draco, she didn't say nothing of the sort, she is very much ready for this and looks as stunning as ever." Will said, shaking his head at Lizzie with a stern look.

Draco took a step towards her, his fists balled tightly.

"Son, do you see yourself? You're letting a child get under your skin?" Lucius said, a slight tone of amusement in his voice.

"But she-"

"Draco, let it go."

He started mumbling under his breath before he stormed off.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"It's time, Gin, are you nervous?" Harry asked her.

She thought about it for a moment and shook her head with a smile. "No, not at all." she said before she took his arm.

"Just think about the after party," Harry said. "Eddy is probably already lining shots up." he laughed.

Ginny gave a small giggle, "Yeah, I don't think I'll be drinking tonight." she said.

"Pft, yeah ok," he scoffed.

She just looked at him and bit her lip.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" he asked her.

She gave a small nod.

"Does Draco know?"

"Not yet." she said with a shaky breath.

He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a tight squeeze. "You scared?"

She looked at him and shook her again. "No, I'm excited and I'm ready for this...I can't wait."

His heart melted at her reaction. "Good," he said with a smile before he lifted his arm out again for her to take. "It's showtime."

Ginny took his arm and started making her way towards Draco, she couldn't even begin to express how happy she was. Every time she saw Draco her heart fluttered, she could feel the overwhelming love he had for her even from down the aisle. She took in the people sitting there and supporting her, how she wished her father was here today. She looked at Lizzie and how happy she was and then at Will. She remembered that day six months ago like it was yesterday, she remembered waking up in St. Mungo's and finding out Will was still alive. She looked at Narcissa, who was really the one who saved his life up until they got him to the hospital. She was just so happy Will and Lizzie were together in the end, it had been such a long recovery for Will...for all of them.

She felt Draco take her hands in his, he was so excited and happy she was finally here with him. He couldn't help but grab and kiss her.

"Mr. Malfoy, if you could at least wait for the vows?" McGonagall said.

"Sorry," he mumbled before he shot Ginny a smirk.

Ginny heard McGonagall start to talk, but all she could focus on was the man in front of her. She couldn't stop smiling and neither could he, she almost just wanted the ceremony to be over so she could snog him senseless.

"Mr. Malfoy...your vows?" McGonagall said, trying to break him out of his daze as his eyes were locked on Ginny's.

"Oh, yeah, those things," he said with a smirk. "Damn, where to start? I didn't write anything down because I was sure I'd be more put together than this, but here we are. Anyway..." he trailed off before he let out a shaky breath.

He looked back up at her, those amber eyes piercing into him, her smile warm and comforting.

"You're so amazing, I literally can't even think of the right words to say when it comes to explaining how happy you make me. I just think back a year ago...where I was, how I felt...how much I hated you helping yourself into my bedroom." he smirked, making everyone give a small laugh. "I really feel like you saved me in more ways than one...so thank you for being there for me during one of the darkest times of my life. Thank you for being my light...my hope...my lifeline."

Ginny just smiled through her tears before she realized it was her turn.

"Miss Weasley." McGonagall nodded for her to go.

Ginny looked out at her family and friends and then back at Draco, everything felt so surreal. "I can't believe I'm standing here right now." she said shaking her head. "When I think back to everything that's happened, it just doesn't add up right to me. I think to myself, how the hell did we manage to get so lucky...so happy? There was a time I thought I would never smile again...never feel again. There were things I did that I'm not proud of...like forcing you to drink Veritaserum," she laughed at the memory.

"Veritaserum? What the hell were those two doing up in his bedroom?" Narcissa mumbled to Lucius.

"Through all of the darkness and heartache I always found myself wanting you near me. You just made me feel like it would all be ok somehow, even when you didn't believe it yourself. Whenever I was with you I felt like we could do anything...overcome anything." she looked down at her hands in his. "Every time I started losing my way...you always somehow managed to pull me back to reality and I realized that I wanted to be in that reality with you...always. I feel like my heart can't beat without yours beating too." she finished, as she wiped more tears from her face.

The rest of the ceremony was a blur to them, they just wanted each other in their arms at this point. As soon as the last line left McGonagall's mouth Draco grabbed Ginny and kissed her, his hands holding her body close to him.

"You do realize we just watched our son marry a Weasley?" Lucius said to his wife.

She just smiled at his comment. "And that we'll be the grandparents of a Malfoy/Weasley offspring." she said quietly to him with a smirk.

He snapped his head to her. "Grandparents?" he said confused, before he looked up at Ginny and then back to her to confirm what she meant.

She gave a quick nod as she watched him try to keep the smile from spreading across his face.

"It's a losing battle, dear, you better learn to start smiling more once that baby gets here." she said, placing a kiss on his cheek.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Alright Ginny, show Chamberlain here how a newcomer starts the night off here at Pristine Point." Draco said, leading Will to the bar to sit.

Ginny looked down at the slew of shots in front of her.

"I think you'll have to show him tonight," she said, looking at him.

He snapped his eyes up to her, never had Ginny turned down shots at Pristine Point.

He just stared at her for a moment, "Are you fuckin serious?" he asked her, the smile already stretched across his face.

"Yes, remember that monstrous child we discussed having months ago, well, we're having one." she laughed.

Before Draco got too excited he leaned in closer to her. "Are you...are you ok with this?" he asked her, knowing Ginny's past he wanted to make sure she was ready to have a baby.

She just smiled at his question, "I am more than ok with this," she said.

"YES!" he yelled, grabbing her up in his arms, "I can't believe this," he said as he buried his face in her hair.

"You can't? I can't take two steps without you pinning me against the nearest wall. So I definitely can believe it," Ginny laughed.

"Have you told him yet?" Narcisa asked as she and Lucius walked up to them.

Ginny nodded happily.

Draco hugged both of his parents.

"We are so proud of you, Draco," Narcissa said. "We couldn't be happier, your father especially."

Lucius just shrugged. "What can I say, I have a soft spot for the Weasley girl," he drawled with a small smirk.

Ginny just shook her head at him before she gave him a giant exaggerated hug.

Draco turned his attention back to Will, "Well, since she needs to sit this one out I guess it's up to me to show you how we do it Pristine Point style...EDDY!" he yelled down the bar. "You guys, get in here too." he said to his mother and father slamming the counter with his hand next him.

"I don't think so Draco, your mother and I don't-"

Lucius stopped talking when he watched Narcissa throw back five shots in a row.

"Damn, Mother," Draco said.

She just shrugged. "Edward, keep them coming," she said to Eddy.

"Will do, ma'am," he said, bringing more drinks over.

"So, all of these are for me?" Will asked.

"Yes, now drink them before Dr. Lovegood comes back around." he said.

He threw back each shot when Lizzie came walking up to them and took a seat. "Dad, I thought you weren't supposed to drink?"

"I know, it is, however, a special occasion-"

"So can I have one then?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Draco said, sliding a shot down to her.

She went to grab it when Will covered it with one hand and then shook his head at Draco. "Seriously?" He turned back to Lizzie, "Not this time, sweetheart...I'll allow you a sip...and when I say a sip I mean a sip, of champagne."

"No thanks, that stuff is gross, Firewhisky is much better."

"When the bloody hell have you had that?" he asked her before he turned to Draco, who quickly looked away. "Yeah, that's the last time you watch my kid," he said, punching him hard in the arm.

"Now Draco, if things go south in this marriage you just let me know," Eddy said, patting Draco on the hand.

"I'll keep that in mind," Draco said as Ginny started snickering beside her with Harry.

"Your friend here is rather dashing-"

"Will is also straight Eddy, and he's currently sucking face with Luna." Draco said before he leaned in closer to Will. "Although, she's a bit a freak, so she might not mind having a third wheel in the bedroom," he mumbled to him before he received another punch to the arm from Will.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny walked along the beach and glanced up at the night sky, she was still laughing from how ridiculous the party had gotten back at the bar. She kept looking back every so often when she heard someone screaming or an eruption of laughter.

"It's nice to see everyone having such a great time," Will said as he walked with her.

"Yeah, it really is." she said with a smile, looking at him. "It's good to see you Will...I was so sick of St. Mungo's by the time the first month was through."

"It didn't seem that bad to me," he teased.

"Yeah, because you were in a coma for the first six weeks," she laughed, playfully pushing him away from her.

They were both quiet for a few moments as they thought back to how close he was to death.

"How's Lizzie? How do her and Luna get along?"

"Good, Lizzie likes her a lot and Luna has a lot of patience, which we both know is much needed when it comes to Elizabeth." he said with a smirk.

Ginny giggled. "And what about you and Luna? How's that going?"

"Good, actually probably more than good, I owe a lot to her these past few months. She's been helping me and Lizzie through all of this. She's quite...quirky, but I think-"

"That's exactly what you need?" Ginny finished for him.

"Exactly, she's very positive too. Since I've been out of the hospital, though, she is rather overprotective...like I might break suddenly or something." he shrugged.

Ginny just smiled at this, Luna was different after everything happened. She suffered in silence it seemed and only until the past few months did she seem to be her old self again.

"Sounds like she just really cares a lot about you."

He nodded. "She does and I care a great deal about her too," he said. "I'm actually genuinely happy...and so is Lizzie and that's all I can ask for."

She just smiled again at him, her heart melted at hearing him say that. She always hoped that Will and Lizzie would end up happy.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"What a night." Draco said, leaning against the railing of the bar deck.

"I know, how are you feeling...about being a father?" Harry asked him.

He turned to look at him. "Pretty fuckin good I'm not going to lie." he said with a wide smile.

Harry was so happy for him and Ginny, he found so much peace in knowing she was ok and happy.

Draco looked across the room at Pansy and Hermione, Pansy had her hand on Hermione's very pregnant stomach waiting to feel the baby kick.

"What about you? Are you ready?" he asked Harry. "I mean...I know it was very unexpected for you guys."

Harry was quiet for a few moments. "I love her...and yeah, I'm ready, its just... with everything in the past with Ginny, I just have this overwhelming need to...to..."

"Protect her?" Draco finished.

Harry nodded.

"Yeah, I feel the same way, but things are different now."

Harry nodded again. "Yeah...they are." he said with a smile before locking eyes with Pansy from across the room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She was carrying the box and felt her fingers starting to slip when Draco quickly took it from her.

"What are you doing?" he snapped.

"Um, helping." she said with her hand on her hip.

"Go help by carrying something lighter." he said, walking into Kingsley's office. "There's a few more things, but this is the last of the paperwork." he said to Harry, placing the box down on the floor.

"Thanks and thank you for your help."

"I can't believe I'm looking at the new Minister of Magic, well deserved too I might add." Ginny said with a smile.

"Thanks Gin, and as soon as you're officially back Will, I'd like for you to take the Head Auror position."

Will just looked at him. "Are you serious? Of course, thank you." he said, he was grateful that Harry trusted him enough to take the position. "Has everything been settled with the Ministry though, I mean I've been gone for a while and with what happened-"

"I've taken care of everything, once you cleared my name I made sure I did the same for you." Harry explained.

Will nodded. "Thank you."

Pansy sat in the chair behind Kingsley's desk and started rummaging through the drawers. "I wonder what kind of crap is in here." she said.

"Probably nothing great, most everything was gone through...except the filing cabinets, they were nice enough to leave those for me." Harry said with a sigh.

"Oh, I got this, you know how great I am at paperwork." Ginny said, taking a seat on the floor and opening the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet.

"I don't ever recall you doing any actual work, more snooping than anything." Harry teased her.

"No, she actually did alphabetize all my files one day," Will said.

Harry glared at Ginny, "You mean you actually did work in his office, but not mine?"

"In my defense, the files I needed were in your office at the time, not his." she said with a shrug. "Oh, what's this," she said with a mysterious grin. "A locked drawer."

"Ginny, half of these drawers are locked." Harry said.

"Yeah, probably to keep you out of them," Draco drawled, causing her to throw a crumpled piece of paper at him.

"How's Hermione and the baby?" Harry asked.

"They are good, they should be coming home today. Mum is already planning on being there day and night." Ginny said as she continued rummaging through the drawer that she finally managed to unlock. "Looky here, a locked box," she said, handing it to Pansy to try and open.

Pansy waved her wand and it still didn't unlock so she pushed it to Harry, who knew a more advanced unlocking spell.

He opened it and picked up the small item before he noticed Ginny found more of them in the drawer she unlocked.

"They just look like valuable artifacts and stuff, I'll put them aside for now." he said with a shrug.

"So does this mean I get to be your assistant again?" Ginny asked.

"Hell no, you just like to be nosy, you can go work in the library downstairs." Harry said.

"The library? Do I look like Hermione?" she snapped. "Here's another locked box," she said, passing it to Pansy.

"Here, unlock this one too; they all have advanced locking charms on them." Pansy said passing it on to Harry. "You would think there would be something more interesting in here." she said with a sigh as she leaned back in the chair.

"It's almost six and we need to be at the Manor for dinner, are you guys going?" Ginny asked Will, Harry and Pansy.

"Yes, we will be there." Will said.

"Harry? Are you coming or are you going to stay here and set up your new office?" Ginny teased.

He didn't answer her; he just stared down at the box in his hand, his eyes wide.

"Harry?"

"What is it Potter?" Draco asked, seeing the look on his face.

Harry looked up at them all. "It's... a Time-Turner."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so obviously this is setup for a sequel, I already knew there would be one a while ago. What are your thoughts on the final chapter? What did you guys think of the story? What were some of your favorite parts? Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, they mean so much to me, you have no idea. I love to write for you guys and I LOVE that my story has had such a positive effect on so many of my readers...thank you so much!
> 
> If you have not read my other Drinny fic yet you should check it out. It's called Unhinged, that was my first ever Drinny fic I wrote. I feel like I have grown as a writer since and I'm so pleased with the work I have put out. Thank you all again for your support!
> 
> Please review =D

**Author's Note:**

> So what did you think so far? Any feedback would be great?


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